Northern Ireland and integrated education

Sir, – Mark Hennessy’s fascinating article on David Rice and his challenging new book, The Sundered Children, is a timely reminder of the importance of educating our children together (“One man’s fight to end Northern Ireland’s segregated education”, Common Ground, May 14th). It also points to the failure of our religious and political leaders to address this significant issue with any real urgency.

Only 7 per cent of children in Northern Ireland attend integrated schools. All integrated schools in the secondary sector are hugely oversubscribed and in the primary sector the “shared” education initiative can only be a diversion from the real aim of enabling our children to really know and respect each other. Although it is obvious that our segregated system results in extravagant and costly duplication and helps to perpetuate divisions, why do so many of our church leaders, educators and politicians duck the issue or continue to sit on the fence ? – Yours, etc.

DAVID GRIFFIN,

Banbridge,