Sir, – I have been following with interest the correspondence following Diarmaid Ferriter’s article on integrated education in Northern Ireland (“Much of discord in Northern Ireland rooted in failure to integrate schools”, Opinion & Analysis, November 4th).
There was a rather quixotic contribution to this on November 16th in which a letter writer was critical of shared education initiatives, claiming they have “little or no impact in bringing the children from our divided society together”, are “artificial, cosmetic and costly” and act as a constraint on the advance of Integrated Education.
Your correspondent is clearly unaware of the extensive body of published research evidence which has demonstrated the positive impact of shared education; or the evidence from the Young Life and Times, and Kids Life and Times surveys, both of which show the value attached to the work by children and young people; or the evidence which shows the benefits teachers have identified in cross-school professional learning networks.
Before Covid over 60 per cent of primary and post-primary schools were involved in shared education partnerships, with almost 85,000 pupils participating in shared classes. Furthermore, the majority of integrated schools in Northern Ireland are actively involved in shared education partnerships.
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When the NI Assembly passed the Shared Education Act in 2016 it provided a rare example of consensus as all five of the main political parties voted in favour.
Earlier this year the NI Assembly passed an Integrated Education Act and I am one of many who wish to see the Assembly restored as soon as possible so the promise of that legislation can be pursued. In the meantime, I salute the commitment of the vast majority of teachers across every type of school in Northern Ireland who are working through shared and integrated contexts to provide opportunities for their pupils to experience meaningful, sustained engagement.
Teachers did not cause the Northern Ireland problem, nor should they be attributed sole responsibility for solving it, but the spirit of collaboration and commitment to the common good they demonstrate each and every day is a lesson many of the elected politicians in Northern Ireland should study with alacrity. – Yours, etc,
TONY GALLAGHER,
Professor of Education,
Queen’s University,
Belfast.