Senators rehashed the row over St. Georges Prep yesterday during a take note motion brought by Opposition Senator Kim Swan.

In a lengthy speech to his colleagues, Sen. Swan congratulated parents whose children were refused admission to the popular school, for fighting on and presenting an alternative plan.

The Opposition Senators handed out a table detailing the parents? proposals which purported to show that all the children could be accommodated in the East End if two entry classes were retained at both St. Georges Prep and East End Primary School.

Education Minister Terry Lister has angered parents with his decision to cut an entry level class at St. Georges Prep, which was listed as the first preference school for parents of 46 children this year.

The Minister also decided to add a class to East End Primary, but the parents argue that that would mean that some children would still have to go to school outside of St. Georges.

Sen. Swan reiterated the parents arguments saying that had the Education Ministry informed them in good time of the decision to cut a class, their expectations might have been different.

?The way in which that was handled certainly caused great concern and contributed a great deal to the anger and feelings that the parents are now feeling,? he said.

He said the Minister?s actions amounted to ?penalising a school for being a popular choice? and undermined the rights of parents to choose.

Sen. Swan added that the Minister has also succeeded in turning away a number of parents who believed in the public school system when almost half of all parents opted for private school.

Government defended Mr. Lister?s decisions, saying that he had a responsibility to ensure that there was accommodation throughout the system for all children.

Senator Walter Roban said that the Minister had consulted with the parents, but the Minister ?had a wider responsibility? for all students on the Island and to manage the system in a way which avoided problems in the future.