A public meeting which was to be held to address the “deplorable state” of Markethill High School has been postponed due to the deputy First-Minister being unable to attend.
The event was to be held on Monday September 16, under the auspices of Markethill District Loyal Orange Lodge No. 10, to hear the thoughts of the local community on the town’s need for a new school building.
Despite significant interest in the event on social media, the organisers have since announced it is to be postponed, but not cancelled, due to Emma Little-Pengelly, deputy First Minister, and Paul Givan, the Minister for Education, being unable to attend.
Mrs Little-Pengelly is a former pupil of the school.
They had been among seven politicians invited to the event, with councillors Gareth Wilson, Gordon Kennedy, Paul Berry and Keith Ratcliffe, alongside William Irwin MLA, confirming their attendance.
The school, which was built in 1959 for 200 pupils, currently has over 500 pupils and has suffered from years of underfunding.
In the intervening years since its opening, mobile classrooms have been erected to accommodate the growing number of pupils attending the school.
However, questions have been raised to why the school has not seen any significant capital investment to help it cope with the demand.
In a statement released by the Markethill District Orange Lodge this week, a spokesperson said the motivation behind the meeting, “came as a direct result of widespread frustration and ever- growing anger at the outdated physical state of the school”.
The spokesperson continued: “In it’s role as a facilitator, District 10 would like to say this postponement is due to positive moves around a new school behind the scenes. Unfortunately, and perhaps of no surprise to many, it is not…
“Without the presence of these two senior political figures, it is felt that the proposed Public Meeting to be held next Monday 16th September would not adequately reflect the seriousness of our objective. The meeting has therefore been postponed- BUT NOT CANCELLED!
“We have written to our Minister of Education and deputy First Minister requesting that they provide dates between late October and early December when they would be available to attend a Public Meeting on the single issue on the future of Markethill High School.
“We cannot imagine that they would not be prepared to make themselves available to attend an event of such importance to grassroots Unionist voters in the greater Markethill area.
“Both individuals are prominent members of the Democratic Unionist Party. Their Party Leader Gavin Robinson recently stated that his Party has to begin listening to voters again. He outlined plans for a new approach to engage with grassroots Unionists.
“Indeed he spoke on the need for that engagement directly stating, ‘We are servants of the people and must listen to what they have to say’.
“In light of their Party policy, the expectation of Unionism across the board is that DUP representatives will demonstrate their level of commitment to it. This issue offers an opportunity for the DUP, its Deputy First Minister and Minister of Education, to demonstrate the sincerity behind this ‘new’ approach. Not just for Markethill, but Northern Ireland at large.
“Finally, we have become aware that the use of the word “deplorable” in our previous statement may have been interpreted by some as a criticism of School staff, particularly those responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of buildings and facilities at Markethill High School. That was most certainly not the case and we apologise if any offence has been taken.
“Markethill District 10 would reiterate its full support for the Board of Governors, Headmaster, Teaching Staff and all ancillary staff at Markethill High School. Indeed, we would have no hesitation in stating that such support exists universally.
“The lack of modern teaching facilities is no reflection on these dedicated and principled individuals. It does, however, reflect on the failure of the political establishment and Statutory Agencies when dealing with the School.
“We would take this opportunity to thank the many hundreds of individuals who have voiced their support for our Markethill High School campaign, who pledged their attendance to any Public Meetings and who, perhaps most importantly, signalled their desire to become involved and to work further in any campaign towards movement in what has become a struggle for the education of our children.
“Much lip-service is often paid to what is important in life. There is no debate. What is most important is our children and their future.
“Markethill District 10 will be furthering the goals of the campaign on the ground over the coming weeks and months. Updates on the responses from our politicians, or otherwise, will be issued periodically.”
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