Minister keen to sign off on Marlinstown

There was good news for Curraghmore yesterday morning after Tánaiste and Education minister Mary Coughlan gave a positive response to a 10-minute meeting with the board of management to discuss the Department of Education's level of commitment to building a new school."I'm actually on my way to open an autism unit in Kilbeggan and every string and Donegal connection was pulled to get me here first," laughed the Minister as she left the school to travel on to Rathwire."There has been much anxiety in rural areas as their populations have expanded but needs of communities have not been met. The priority is to get the proposed site signed off on as soon as possible so that it can go into the capital programme. "The site for the school cannot go into the programme until it has been signed off, so that must be done urgently. I can see that there is an immediate need here and my office will be contacting the county manager to have this moved on.Continued on page 5