Over half the pupils of a Co Mayo primary school have been withdrawn before the school re-opens for classes next week.
Forty-three pupils out of a total of 74 have been taken out of Manulla National School, midway between Balla and Castlebar, which was rebuilt at a cost of about €500,000 four years ago.
Problems at the school came to a head earlier this year when the entire management board resigned. The issues that led to what has been described as "an irreconcilable breakdown" between some parents and teaching staff were summarised by the parents as poor communication between teachers, an over-reliance on substitute teachers and unresolved matters relating to bullying among pupils.
After the management board resigned in February, the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, who is school patron, appointed a Dunmore, Co Galway-based schoolteacher, Brian Hynes, as single manager of the school.
Mr Hynes's term as single manager is scheduled to end in the middle of next month and it will then be a matter for the patron to decide whether his term should be extended or a new management board installed.
When contacted by a local newspaper in the past few days, Mr Hynes said while he accepted a number of pupils would transfer to other schools, he would not know for sure what the situation would be until after the school re-opened next week.
However, disaffected parents, who claim to have carried out a careful tally, say that 43 pupils have been withdrawn and will start classes in other schools next week.
These schools are: Balla NS, Belcarra NS, Breaffy NS and Errew NS, which are all located within a seven-mile radius of Manulla.
Dr Neary was on holidays yesterday but diocesan secretary Fr Fintan Monaghan said he was very aware and concerned about the problems at the school, adding that Mr Hynes, a skilful negotiator, was doing his best to remedy them.
Mr Hynes went on record last month to state that the withdrawal of a large number of pupils from the school would be a devastating blow to the local community and a cause of great concern and regret for the archbishop.