Letter: Education system in Northern Ireland must be reclaimed from the grip of liberal/left collectivists

In the year 2026 there is a growing sense that the Northern Ireland education system has side-lined teachers, parents and pupils in favour of Education Authority-based liberal/left collectivists who consider their views about our children’s education to be more important than parents or teachers.

The results have been entirely predictable, and they are:

1. A decline in basic numeracy and literacy skills; most especially amongst the most vulnerable children;

2. The imposition of questionable sex education as dictated by the United Nations ‘Comprehensive Sexuality Education’ programme;

3. The legitimisation of liberal/left narratives that discriminate against local children by spreading manufactured anti-British, anti-Irish and anti-Ulster histories.

This writer now believes that parents and teachers have every right to be angry at this most fundamental change in outlook, most especially when one considers the lack of consultation in the run-up to the imposition of such dramatic and fundamental changes.

As a result of this situation, a rising number of people now want to see action to reverse this ongoing assault on parental rights and thus I suggest three steps that could begin to return our education system to its rightful owners.

They are:

1. Abolish the Education Authority and pass its function to local councils who are better connected to parents and thus could be well placed to return us to a family orientated curriculum that teaches children ‘how to think’ as opposed to ‘what to think’;

2. End the failed liberal/left ‘Common Curriculum’ and allow local councils to empower teachers to once again design appropriate curricula for local children;

3. Create a local ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ and have it audit every aspect of the Education Authority activities.

Naturally this type of pushback takes political will and at the present time only unionism has the potential to deliver; and a couple unionist politicians have already stepped up to the plate.

On Monday 22nd April 2024, Democratic Unionist Party MLA Cheryl Brownlee stood up to Alliance Party liberal/left MLA Kate Nicholl, who had tabled an assembly motion that forces questionable sexual values on schools and children, and undermines the rights of parents, children and teachers.

Ms Brownlee said: “The DUP has consistently argued that parents are best placed to determine what is in the best interest of their child, and that the ethos and values of schools must be respected. Parents however are absent from the Alliance motion.”

As important, on the 21st August 2023 Democratic Unionist Party MLA Jonathan Buckley launched a “Let Kids be Kids” campaign aimed at preserving the innocence of childhood.

At the time he said: “I believe that children are the heartbeat of our community, a sense of joy that can be found in the innocence of children.

"This innocence is precious and something we should cherish and wholeheartedly strive to protect.

"However this sense of protection is now no longer safe for a number of reasons.

"One of the biggest concerns that parents have raised with me is the proposed changes to relationship and sexuality education in schools.

"Whatever happened to just letting kids be kids?”

And this former history teacher endorses every word spoken by both MLAs.

Thus, in conclusion, I hope that:

1. Neither of these MLAs ever surrenders an inch of ground to the liberal/left.

2. They get the support of every right-thinking unionist when doing so.

David Rose, Former history teacher, former Progressive Unionist Party activist and member of Advance UK, Bangor