https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgnw15k9pro

The principal of a Londonderry school at the centre of a row over funding for a football pitch has said has has considered quitting.

Michael Allen, of Lisneal College, said it had been an exhausting and difficult time after it emerged the school was allocated £710,000 to upgrade its football pitch.

The Belfast Telegraph reported, external the funding along with details of a meeting tje school held with Education Minister Paul Givan and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) colleagues.

Mr Allen rejected any inference that because the school predominantly serves the Protestant community that he "somehow would have a huge amount of influence on DUP policy or ministers".
'Collateral damage'

"It's wrong and it's unfair," he told the Nolan Show.

He added that the week since the story emerged had been "very isolating".

"I'm exhausted. I haven't slept roughly in a week and it's been a very difficult time."

Mr Allen said that the saga has took a toll on him, with his "own personal integrity" being "challenged".

"I'm almost made to feel guilty for wanting the best for my pupils."

"It's been an eye opener for me in terms of the nasty, nasty game that is politics and we feel like collateral damage," he added.

At one point during the interview Mr Allen became emotional when describing how some social media comments have referred to "brown envelopes" and stereotypes about the school's mostly Protestant student base.

Givan rejected allegations of cronyism levelled during a fractious meeting of Stormont's education committee last week.

He said he "didn't bring any influence to bear" on the pitch upgrade and that the funding decision was made by the Education Authority (EA) in Northern Ireland.

The EA had said the project has been planned for several years and followed "normal minor capital works procedures".

by HeWasDeadAllAlong

12 comments

  2. Cheek of people doing something wrong and then acting like the victim when they get called out on it.

  3. Right lads what do we think? Is this a case of cronyism and corruption?

    Or is it Occam’s razor/simplest explanation – incompetence in the civ service EA leading to funding arguably being allocated to the wrong place? If so, will any EA staff feel any repercussions?

  4. 700k for a stadium maybe, but a pitch? That’s some expensive grass seed

  5. If you think this is iffy have a look at the Royal School Armagh getting a brand new state-of-the-art multi-million pounds hockey facility paid for by Unionist-controlled ABC council.

  6. Jesus so the BelTel saying the EA statement was a lie? Jesus wept, the EA have really fucked this principal.

    https://archive.ph/hZ8WE

    Let’s keep in mind folks this guy simply put in his requests. The rest is political games happening that have nothing to do with him.

  7. This is a bit of a dead cat. No one is blaming the principal. It’s the EA and DfE that should be in the spotlight.

  8. I think that headline is just a bit misleading. It makes it sound like the principal is on £700k and is thinking of quitting over a football field.

  9. The Nolan Show reported that St Joseph’s Boys School in Derry, a Catholic maintained school, got £587,000 to upgrade its shale pitch to a 4G one.

  10. On Nolan now, St Josephs got 580k not long ago for a 4g upgrade. Sdlp and SF lobbied for it and nobody caused any up roar like this.

  11. Show the public the formal application and the trust will be restored.

  12. You don’t do a fucking article and go on the FUCKING Nolan show if there is not something shady going on.

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