Sir, - In his article of November 13th, Andy Pollak quotes the Queen's University Pro Vice Chancellor and Catholic lawyer, Professor Mary McAleese, as saying: "It is actually quite mischievous, if not quite dangerous, to insist that the children should integrate".
I find it quite remarkable that a senior academic regards it as dangerous for Catholic and Protestant children to be educated together! Professor McAleese speaks in the article of sectarian and blatant hatred in our community. It is therefore bizarre that she regards as acceptable a system of education in which 98 per cent of schools are, effectively, entirely Catholic or entirely Protestant. If we separate children until they reach the age of 16, it is no wonder that many of them develop sectarian and bitter attitudes.
Hardly anyone would argue that it would be reasonable to continue in South Africa separate schools for black and white children. Unfortunately, in Ireland it seems to be quite acceptable to maintain a system of educational apartheid.
Those who are genuinely committed to achieving a peaceful and shared society in Northern Ireland believe that every parent should have the right to send children to a school open to all comers, including black, white, yellow, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, Hindu, etc. It is sad and depressing that someone of Professor McAleese's eminence does not seem to share this view. - Yours, etc.,
Alliance Party Councillor, 88 University Street,
Belfast.
PS - The logical extension of Professor McAleese's argument is that we should have two universities in Northern Ireland, one for Catholics and one for Protestants.