School closure 'linked to Protestant exodus' - Sectarianism

www.NewsLetter.co.uk        1st February
 
School closure 'linked to Protestant exodus'
Ian Starrett

THE planned closure of Templemore Secondary School in Londonderry next
year is at least partly due to the Protestant exodus from the west
bank of the River Foyle, say four ex-pupils.

William Montgomery, John Hogan, Samuel Thompson and John Wylie, in a
statement, claimed that Protestants travelling to the school were
subjected to almost daily sectarian attacks when they were on the west
bank.


The four said that sectarian attacks in the past had led to the small
number of Protestants still remaining today on the west bank to send
their children to schools in the Waterside.
They stated: "There was no public outcry on our behalf and, more
importantly, there was little or no mention of our murdered
schoolfriends and family.
"The brutal reality is that a number of ex-Templemore pupils were
murdered by the IRA during the 1970s/80s and 90s. An inestimable
number of parents and relatives of pupils also paid the ultimate
sacrifice during these years - in the Glen, Northland Road, Fountain,
Culmore and elsewhere."
They said that pupils travelling to and from the Fountain were
particularly vulnerable to attack as they were bussed through the city
centre. 
"Eventually, it became intolerable, especially after the usual lack
lustre police response on behalf of beleaguered Protestants, and in
the late 1980s the Fountain community virtually en masse opted for
secondary education in the Waterside."
"In fact, the really hurtful fact is that there has been either
blanket denials or selective amnesia about our plight on the part of
the majority community in Londonderry," they said.
Patsy Edgar, a parent, claimed that the decision to close Templemore
will result in increased sectarian polarisation in the city.
Mr Edgar said: "We think there are still around 10 per cent of the
population in this area Protestant and if Templemore closes their
children will end up going to schools in the Waterside. The logic of
the situation is, if their children are going to school in the
Waterside then families will eventually move there, increasing the
sectarian divide."
The school's Board of Governors have suggested that Templemore close
next summer due to declining in-take numbers. 
Teachers at the school yesterday claimed that the Board of Governors
appear to be intent on closing the school and have not looked at all
the options.