Liam Neeson Backs Campaign For All Children In NI To Be Educated Together

Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson is supporting a new campaign for all children in NI to be educated together.

Mr Neeson, who is from Ballymena, released a short video backing an initiative from the Integrated Education Fund (IEF) to make integrated education available in almost every school.

In the video he said: "We look to our children for the future, so why do we continue to educate them apart: different religions, different backgrounds, different schools?

"There is another way. Most people agree that educating children together is a better way forward for our society.

"It's time to turn our aspiration into reality, to believe in your children and believe in their future."

Tina Merron, CEO of the IEF, said: "Research has repeatedly revealed that a majority of Northern Ireland parents want their school to become integrated. When it comes to making it happen, however, what many people don't know is that integration is supported by the Department for Education and government policy in Northern Ireland.

"And, if a minimum of 20% of parents at a school express an interest in integration, the school's Board of Governors is then required to put the matter to the whole school for consultation.

"By logging on and registering their interest confidentially on the IntegrateMySchool website, parents could take almost any school in Northern Ireland on the first steps towards integration.

"This is not an overnight process and schools can only transform to integrated status with parental approval and parental involvement, but this online registration is a very important first step in showing the interest of the school community, in complete confidentiality and without prejudice. A strong expression of interest from enough parents at a school means there is the momentum to drive the school to the next stage."

Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson and candidate for Mid-Ulster, Sandra Overend, said: "This is not about favouring one sector over another or seeing integrated education as some sort of alternative to mainstream education in Northern Ireland. Instead, the Ulster Unionist Party wants every child to have the opportunity to be educated together side by side in the classroom under a single state education system. We want to see a society free from sectarianism and hatred. This is one of the most fundamental steps in that process and we must take it, otherwise we will never be truly reconciled.

"We believe that ultimately parents and communities hold the power to make this happen and it must come from the bottom up – not from the top down. If communities can come together and tackle our segregated education system at a grassroots level, we could really make huge strides in tackling sectarianism in our communities as well as simultaneously creating a school system that will serve children and society for years to come."



(CD/JP)