News / Postcard protest makes its first delivery
PUPILS and parents from Shetland’s west side took their protest against plans to close the Aith junior high school to Lerwick Town Hall on Tuesday evening.
The Our Schools, Our Future campaign – a take on the council’s Our Islands, Our Future campaign for greater post-referendum powers – has seen postcards distributed throughout Shetland’s rural shops inviting pupils to comment on what they like doing after school.
The issue is particularly pertinent to Aith secondary pupils who face 65 minute journey to and from school if Shetland Islands Council goes ahead with proposals to close the junior high.
On Tuesday the first batch of 160 postcards were handed in to education and families committee vice chairman George Smith and Shetland West member Theo Smith.
The postcards, gathered from across the isles, revealed the kinds of things children fear they will lose out on if the closure goes through, including leisure and family activities, as well as time to do their homework.
One pupil said how the family hardly sees her sister who already travels to Lerwick to school from the west side every day.
Campaign spokeswoman Leanne Johnson said if the closure plan is voted through parents will be demanding to know how the council will ensure their children are not socially and educationally disadvantaged.
“What the postcard campaign is showing us is that children throughout rural Shetland believe that time in their own community is special,” she said.
“We are worried that much of this special time for bairns between the ages of 11 to 16 will be lost on long bus journeys to and from school.”
George Smith promised he and other councillors would read the postcards and take on board the comments before they make any decision on closing Aith or Sandwick junior highs, which are on the chopping block along with Skerries and possibly Symbister.
Postcards will continue to be collected until 12 November to be handed in to the council the following day when the education and families committee will debate proposals for the future of secondary education in the isles.
A report based on a week long consultation carried out last month, with recommendations from education consultant Don Ledingham, will be published on the SIC website around 9am on Wednesday morning.
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