Dellwood Primary School parents plan to keep their children at home today in order to protest Government's decision to turn Northlands into a primary school for their children.

This is the latest move in the two year conflict between the school's Parent Teacher Association and Government.

The Royal Gazette understands that the boycott petition began circulating on Monday.

It read: "Day of Protest. Keep Your Children Home Friday June 23. In protest of Government's decision to make Northlands into the Primary school for September 1997.

"Call aunties, grandparents, godparents, or siblings if necessary. It is now time to collectively show our solidarity on this issue.'' The boycott call was also translated into Portuguese.

Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira said he was aware of the Dellwood PTA's boycott call.

"I did hear about it,'' he said. "And I have asked my Permanent Secretary to look into it. That's all I can tell you at the moment. The school will be open tomorrow as usual.'' Meanwhile, Mrs. Mary Samuels, co-chair of the Dellwood restructuring committee that has fought to keep Dellwood as a primary school after 1997, said she was in full agreement with the PTA's position.

"I do know about it and I fully support that decision,'' she told The Royal Gazette yesterday. "We will wait and see what kind of turnout happens tomorrow.

"There's a strong group of parents at Dellwood that do not want to see this issue die,'' she added.

When asked whether the timing of the boycott -- school will break for summer next week -- will erode its effectiveness, Mrs. Samuels said this latest action was just one of many attempts parents have used to express their disapproval.

"This is not the only thing that we have done,'' she continued. "We will continue to fight this fight because parents see that the interests of their children are being overlooked in this situation.'' Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith said that she did not condone parents keeping their children away from school although she said the timing of the boycott call was at a time least detrimental to their own children.

"I would imagine as an observer that they have gone to this great length in a renewed effort to get Government to understand that they do not think the relocation of primary school children to a facility outside the neighbourhood and the relocation of adolescents to a facility so near to Court Street, is the correct solution to any problem.'' Moreover, Ms Smith said she remains surprised at Government's "intransigence'' when it comes to education and parent's concerns.

She said the Dellwood issue was just one more example of Government's "willy-nilly'' approach to proceeding with plans despite opposition from the broader community.