The Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is calling on parents in the Castlebar area to complete an online survey on school patronage before tomorrow night’s deadline.

Parents of pre-school and primary school children are being asked what patrons they would like to see running their local primary schools in the future.

Five areas of the country, including Castlebar, are being surveyed in this pilot phase, which will be rolled out later to over 40 areas.

In a statement to Midwest News, Minister Quinn says the intention of this survey is to find out if parents would prefer a wider choice of school patron than is currently available to them.

The survey is available at www.education.ie until midnight tomorrow, and the Department of Education is operating a free helpline for anyone who has difficulties completing the survey.

The helpline is open today and tomorrow up to 5 pm on 1800 303 621.