Alliance: Every parent should have access to integrated education for their child

The law placed a duty on the Department of Education to prepare, publish and maintain a strategy for the encouragement, facilitation, support for and provision of integrated education.

Critics accused it of giving financial priority to the integrated sector over state and catholic maintained schools.

The law did not seek to integrate education in Northern Ireland, instead attempting to boost the integrated sector for those parents who choose it for their children.

Now, two Alliance MLAs are calling on the education minister to ensure that “every parent” can send their child to an integrated school.

Nick Mathison MLA, who chairs the Education Committee said: “Every parent deserves access to an integrated education for their child, whether that’s at a primary or post-primary stage.

“It is clear from evidence heard at Committee that much more needs to be done to deliver on the duties created by the Integrated Education Act, specifically around the introduction of robust procedures for measuring demand for IE [Integrated Education], and measurable benchmarks for achieving adequate provision”

His party colleague Kate Nicholl who also sits on the committee, said “Every parent and child deserve access locally to an integrated education if they so choose it, regardless of where they live in NI”.

The South Belfast MLA added: “Alliance is committed to seeing the expansion of IE provision and will continue engaging with the Minister and the Department on this.”

At last week’s meeting of the Assembly’s Education Committee, the Department of Education reported that there was not “sufficient evidence” in areas with excess demand for integrated education to support the creation of new schools.

The Alliance MLAs demands go beyond the provisions in the Act the party created – and there were no details in their statements about how extra provision would be funded.

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