The ESC President was in turn responding to comments made by deputies Andrea Dudley Owen, Carl Meerveld and Rob Prow who are working on a Requête to try and stop the ‘two-school’ model going ahead.
In response, Mrs Wilkinson – who is a Jurat and has vast experience in the island’s finance sector – has written to the media:
Dear Sir
“(Deputy Fallaize) says in this article, as he has repeated several times, that the States supports the ‘One School two Sites proposals’. He also said that the States of Deliberation has voted twice on the subject of Education therefore he has the mandate to proceed with these latest proposals.
“We elect Deputies to govern on our behalf. Prior to election each of them puts forward a manifesto on which they stand to be elected. We therefore have a reasonable expectation that they will carry out our interests and follow that manifesto as far as they are able to. At no time has this Assembly ever had the mandate to introduce this one school – two site proposal. Not one of the Deputies stood on this manifesto and in fact, Deputy Graham, Vice President of ESC, stood on a manifesto to save the Grammar School and selection!
Pictured: The ESC Committee (l-r) – Deputies Matt Fallaize, Mark Dorey, Rhian Tooley, Peter Roffey and Richard Graham.
“Deputy Fallaize says that the States has voted twice to support the new model of Secondary Education. The States of Guernsey consists of thirty-eight Deputies and not all voted in favour for this new model. However, even if they had all voted unanimously this means that just thirty- eight people in the island have been given total power to change the model of Education that this island has successfully enjoyed for decades.
“In fact, I ask why a subject as important as the Education of our children and grandchildren who are the future leaders of this island was not put to a referendum. Is Education thought to be less important than Island Wide Voting?
“He also says that there are significant resource advantages in the two 11-18 colleges and all pupils would have access to first-class facilities. I just use one example of this being suspect.
“Liz Coffey the newly appointed head of Lisia School admitted when asked directly that there will be no dedicated sixth form facilities in Les Beaucamp. She admitted that the refractory area in Les Beaucamps will be the allocated area for the sixth form. This open area will also be used to feed four shifts of students. Currently there is a dedicated 6th Form at the Grammar School which is planned to be scrapped!
“Deputy Dudley- Owen’s Sursis was defeated by just one vote and not by a two to one majority as Deputy Fallazie reported. She and her colleagues have sought to bring common sense back to the Assembly and should be supported. Deputy Fallaize called Dudley-Owen and her supporters irresponsible because they do not offer an alternative.
Pictured: Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen.
“The reality is that ESC want to force their opinions on the public without reasonable consultation and this is evidenced by the fact that they sought to hold a consultation period at the eleventh hour as short as possible over the Christmas period hoping that it would pass everyone by.
“Education should be dealt with by Educationalists not Deputies or Civil Servants who have no experience of running Educational institutions. Contrary to Deputy Fallaize’s comments there are people who put forward sound ideas as to how Education should be organised going forward, but they have been ignored and not allowed a say. Messrs Dudley-Owen and associates are merely trying to slow this process so that it can be considered in a more measured way.
“I suggest that if Deputy Fallaize spent time conversing with a wider section of the public that he would realise that the Deputies opposing this unrealistic ideals are far from ‘peddling a myth’.
“I do agree with Deputy Fallaize that the community have endured enough uncertainty over Education however that is no reason to press on with this ill thought through scheme. He also said that the debate had been going on for five years now and again I state this was with just a discussion between thirty-eight people who are not experts at the end of the day!
“Interestingly he makes no reference to the traffic mayhem that this one school two sites would cause the island as a whole. Not surprisingly he was quoted recently as saying he has ‘No idea how this traffic management will work’. He also said that he is going to employ someone to fix it” As usual just use the hard-earned tax payers money to pay for it.”
The above is the opinion of Connie Wilkinson and not Bailiwick Express. To submit your comments for consideration for publication email editor@bailiwickexpress.com