Community determined to secure future of Drummin NS

Community determined to secure future of Drummin NS


Anton McNulty

DRUMMIN NS is open for business and every effort will be made to retain its two teacher status was the message from a community meeting which was held there last week.
A special meeting was held in the Brackloon/Drummin Community Centre last Tuesday night  to discuss the future of Drummin NS which may be reduced to a one teacher school because of falling numbers.
The school is at present a two-teacher school but enrolment numbers for next September are expected to be less than 20 and under the new child/teacher ratio the school is in line to lose a teacher.
The plight of the school was highlighted by The Mayo News columnist Liamy Mac Nally in last week’s edition where he wrote that Drummin NS was one of a number of small rural schools facing an uncertain future.
Faced with the prospect of losing a teacher, a large number of people from the locality were present at the meeting where the school’s future was discussed. The school principal, Tereasa McGuire, who is also a newly elected Fine Gael councillor for West Mayo, thanked all the people who attended the meeting and stated that they will make every effort to retain its second teacher.
“The school community is very thankful for and appreciative of the great turnout in the Brackloon/Drummin Community centre on Tuesday night last to discuss the future of Drummin school. The high turnout is indicative of the support for the school and the quality of education provided therein.
“The school is an integral part of the local community and every effort will be made to retain the second teacher. It is important that the message gets out that Drummin NS is open for business and any child is welcome to enrol for the coming year,” she said.
The contact number for Drummin NS is 098 21446.