Dromore clericcritical of department’s near ‘myth’

Readers of your newspaper may recall the Greek myth about Procrustes.

He was the chap who invited travellers to rest on his iron bed.

If they were too short for the bed, he would stretch the unwary guest until he fitted it exactly.

If they were too tall, amputation was required to ensure that the unfortunate fellow matched the length of the bed precisely.

Alas, it seems that the insanity of this terrible fellow is the inspiration for the Department of Education’s plans for Dromore Central Primary School.

It appears that from day one, these new premises will be inadequate to accommodate projected pupil numbers, but as with the Procrustean bed, it is the school which must face radical adaptation and mutilation in order to fit the Department’s demands.

Who cares whether the building will fit the needs of community?

Who cares whether local pupils and parents will be turned away from their school of choice, as long as the school fits the inflexible ‘bed’ the Department has decreed for it?

However, the story of Procrustes may provide hope for Dromore Central, the unfortunate ‘traveller’ in this sorry tale.

It concludes with Procrustes himself being laid upon the bed and forced to receive the same treatment that he had meted out to others.

Perhaps that day may yet come when the Department of Education would base its determination on the actual needs of the school, and would cut and stretch its demands according to the reality on the ground.

Yours,

Bryan Kerr (Very Revd),

Dean of Dromore

The Deanery

Church Street

Dromore