MORE than 260 people attended an information meeting last week at Christ the Priest Primary School to discuss Delfin’s decision to sell a block of land to Independent Colleges Australia (ICA).

Children and parents listened to the fate of their education during the two-hour long meeting.

A committee of 38 people was formed after the meeting, to try to convince Delfin to reconsider its decision to award ICA its first Victorian primary school.

Federal Member for Gorton Brendan O’Connor, State Member for Keilor George Seitz and Melton Shire councillor Garry Stock were also present on the night.

Representatives from Delfin were not invited to the meeting.

Mr O’Connor said during his speech that he would do anything in his power to help the school build its second primary school in the north of Caroline Springs.

“It’s only recently that I understood the consequences of the decision made by Delfin in possibly jeopardising the future expansion of the Catholic school in this region,” Mr O’Connor said.

“I’m very disappointed. It’s just not on as far as I’m concerned.”

Meeting attendees showed their disapproval when Cr Stock told them they should “consider the facts” before making a judgement about Delfin.

“It’s very easy to get engaged, animated and enthusiastic before we know all the facts, and I’m saying this from the council’s point of view,” Cr Stock said.

Caroline Springs resident Tania Walters said she was disappointed at Cr Stock’s comments made during the meeting.

“He’s just saying basically that we need to know the story from the side of Delfin. The bottom line is that there is a need for another Catholic primary school and Delfin should honour that,” Ms Walters said.

Principal Anthony McCluskey said at the meeting that the school might turn away students who were not baptised due to the shortage of places at the current school.

“We have to look at the enrolment priorities, and our first commitment to future priorities would be to the baptised Catholics,” Mr McCluskey said.

Bronwyn Jones, whose Grade 4 son is not baptised, expressed her concerns about her second child, who is due to start school in 2008.

Ms Jones, whose Catholic religion differs from her husband’s, said it was not fair that she should have to choose “different morals” for her children.

“My husband respects my views, but obviously Delfin doesn’t. I just think that it’s very sad that my children might have to got to two different schools,” she said.

ICA is planning to build, with ABC Learning Centre, ABC’s first primary school and might offer marketing, maintenance and information technology support to the school.

Parents were asked to ring Delfin Education Service Manager David Brown to express their concern over the decision.