A DECISION on official recognition for Meanscoil Feirste in west Belfast may be postponed until after the elections in the North, sources have indicated.
Recognition for the all Irish secondary school, which has grown from nine pupils in 1991 to a projected intake of about 200 this autumn, would have a significant impact on nationalist opinion in the city but would be perceived as inflammatory by unionists.
The school applied again for recognition about three months ago and a process of public consultation has been completed. Previous applications for grant aided status have been turned down on the grounds of insufficient numbers.
A spokesman for the North's Department of Education said a decision would be made "in the not too distant future".
The school's principal, Mr Fearghas O hIr, was "hopeful" of a positive decision. For the first time, pupils would sit GSCE examination papers through Irish. The Department's decision to translate the papers was a tacit recognition of the school's permanent status, he said.