Letters / End the consultations
Childrens Services will shortly start a consultation process, which will be followed by a report. This report will recommend the removal of secondary 3 and 4 education from all Shetland’s Junior High Schools.
The focus of the report will be on departmental savings demanded by councillors and the apparent educational benefits. All concerned community members will be reminded that proper procedure has been followed.
What the report will not focus attention on is surely one of the fundamental issues – that, should the decision to end secondary 3 and 4 education in Whalsay, Yell and Unst be taken, every child between the ages of 13 to 16 will have their right to live with their family removed.
With the legally binding requirement to be in education until 16 and no viable alternative in place, all children living in these communities entering secondary 3 will have to leave the care and support of their families and be placed into the care of the local authority with short weekend visits home.
Whilst in the past children have left home to advance their education, never before have they and their parents been stripped of the choice.
It is hard to believe that there are people in positions of authority who can dismiss the removal of such a basic human right, a right important enough to form part of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Do we really have to wait for yet another weary consultation to hammer home the point that this is wholly unacceptable?
Which councillors will place the opinion of a consultant higher than thousands of their fellow Shetlanders?
We ask the council to end this – Now!
Kari Hamilton
Save Whalsay Secondary School Working Group
CURE
Vevoe
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