Parents are outraged after Government?s declaration to close the second Primary One class at St. George?s Prep.

They said the move was illogical, considering the high standards of St. George?s Prep and the increasing population of the area.

However, Education Minister Terry Lister, while saying the parents have a responsibility to be concerned, added his Ministry had to look at the national situation, not just the one in St. George?s.

St. George?s Prep has had two Primary One classes for four years now.

The classes are oversubscribed, with parents turning down private schools in order to enter their children at St. George?s Prep ? a proud testament to the public school system.

Yet, parents said, they were informed last Friday that September would see St. George?s Prep open with only one Primary One class in operation.

Instead, a second stream will now be added to East End Primary School.

While parents applauded the move to open another class at East End Primary, they were left bewildered at the elimination of the stream at St. George?s Prep.

?It?s insane,? said parent Cathy Duffy, who had hoped to place her son in the class next year. ?They are trying to force the overflow to Francis Patton and Victor Scott.

?I don?t think it?s fair. If you have a school, which already has a class, why take it away and force people out of the community??

With Government promising to build 200 more homes at Southside, added her husband Nick Duffy, the move made even less sense. ?I would?ve thought, with forward planning... that we obviously need these schools to expand.?

The Education Act stipulates three criteria for parents entering their children into public schools: that the parents have a choice in the school, that the school is situated in the same zone and that accommodation is available.

With the second stream at St. George?s, all that criteria is filled, said Mr. Duffy. By taking the second stream away, Government is forcing parents? hand. ?There are a lot of very unhappy parents.?

The Duffys were also angry about the timing of the announcement.

?If we had known earlier, we could?ve made informed choices,? Mrs. Duffy said. ?It is now past the date for going back to the private schools.?

Mr. Duffy, familiar with the rebuilding of St. George?s Prep, offered some numbers.

In all, he said, 84 children had applied for places in the St. George?s area.

By his numbers, if Government opens a second stream at East End and leaves the second stream at St. George?s Prep in place, he said all the children in St. George?s can go to school in St. George?s.

Mr. Lister disagreed.

?The numbers are wrong,? he said. ?I don?t have the correct numbers in front of me, but I know that his numbers are incorrect.?

?We have made changes from Somerset to St. George?s. My responsibility is to look at it nationally...?