Letter: Integrated education is the right path to achieving reconciliation in Northern Ireland
A letter from Roderick Downer:
Thirteen years ago I returned to Northern Ireland after much of my career in the Republic, encouraged by the progress of the peace process and the growth of integrated education.
Today, 76 integrated schools educate almost 30,000 children and young people together every day, making integrated education one of the most significant and sustained reconciliation projects on this island.
While this progress is welcome, the wider education system remains largely divided. Catholic maintained schools have fewer than 2% protestant pupils, while controlled schools have fewer than 8% Catholic pupils.
Too many of our children are still educated separately. This is not a criticism of individual schools, all of which strive to provide an excellent education.
However, Archbishop Robin Eames and Denis Bradley were surely right when they warned in 2009 that “reconciliation may never be achieved if our children continue to attend separated schools”.
Integrated education offers a practical and proven way to address that challenge – not by erasing differences but by embracing them and enabling young people to learn and grow together.
Roderick Downer, County Down