Madam, - I was very pleased to see the feature in your edition of August 31st about the Educate Together school in Castleknock. Parents are indeed entitled to have a choice about how their children are educated and Educate Together is giving them that.
I am a teacher in an Educate together school in Dublin and a member of a committee which hopes to set up a similar school in Letterkenny. I currently travel to Dublin on Mondays and return on Fridays to Donegal, where my young family lives. I am a teacher from Britain who has several years' experience in a community primary school, which is similar in status and ethos to the Educate Together schools in Ireland.
Such schools are invaluable in bringing together the diverse range of backgrounds, cultures and religions which have become so commonplace in Irish society today. They teach children respect for each other regardless of skin colour or religion. Anyone who visits an Educate Together school cannot but be moved by the way the children accept others for who they are, rather than what they are. There is indeed a lesson for Irish society in the respect, acknowledgement and acceptance of diversity which Educate Together schools are helping to create.
The days of Catholic schools and Protestant schools, which brought about the "them and us" attitudes that have caused so much heartache and pain on this island, must now be put behind us. Educate Together must be given much more funding to create more schools, both primary secondary, to continue and enhance their work which is of such value to all of Irish society. - Yours, etc,
ANDY HOGG, Portsalon, Co Donegal.
Madam, - Next Tuesday, September 6th, our new Balbriggan Educate Together school will open its doors for the first time. It has been a long and arduous route for the local committee of parents and supporters, and latterly for the professional staff. This badly needed project for this growing urban area would never have seen the light of day were it not for the constant support and expertise of the Educate Together organisation.
What an outrage it is to note that this organisation is not given the funding that might adequately reflect the volume of work it undertakes currently, never mind the pressing need from communities around the country for support and assistance for future projects.
I call on the Government to show a real commitment to multidenominational primary education by funding the Educate Together organisation in its current endeavours and future initiatives. Not to do so can be viewed as negligent and discriminatory. - Yours, etc,
FINTAN McCUTCHEON, Principal, Balbriggan Educate Together, Balbriggan, Co Dublin.