24 Sep 2012

Slow down closures, says principal whose school shut

9:59 pm on 24 September 2012

A former Invercargill principal whose school was closed in 2004 says it was a traumatic time.

And he's urging the Government to slow down in its decisions about Christchurch schools.

The Ministry of Education has proposed closing or merging 31 schools in the city - a move sparking widespread protests by teachers and parents.

Allan Dennis was the principal of Invercargill's Tweedsmuir Junior High School, which had a roll of more than 600 pupils when the Labour Government closed it.

Mr Dennis says he spent a year fighting the move but ultimately the research done by local educators was ignored.

He's calling on the Government to move slowly and consult the community before deciding the fate of Christchurch schools.