The Peace PeopleOur Honorary President MAIREAD CORRIGAN MAGUIRE is one of the patrons of the movement for Integrated Education in schools throughout Northern Ireland.
The first integrated school opened in 1981 with just 28 pupils. Integrated schools operate on the basis of equal numbers of pupils drawn from both sides of our divided community and from all socio-economic backgrounds and academic abilities.
Integrated schools offer an opportunity to bring together pupils, staff and governors in each school who are drawn in roughly equal numbers from both Catholic and Protestant traditions in a planned environment. Here children are encouraged to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes which will empower them to live in the future as adults in a pluralist society, recognising what they hold in common as well as what separates them, and accepting both. They are taught tolerance rather than toleration.
Integrated education encourages children to be creators as well as consumers of education. Integration is not just a matter of maintaining a religious balance, but is reflected in the nature of the schools, which are co-educational and all-ability establishments at all levels from nursery to post-primary.
The movement for integrated education came from a small group of parents and continues to be driven by parents. The law allows parents to change the status of their segregated schools by a democratic process, or alternatively to establish a proposal for a new integrated school in their area. It is as a direct result of parental determination that any children attend integrated schools. Such parents are true agents of reconciliation.
At present there are more than 14,000 pupils in 29 integrated primary schools and 17 integrated post-primary schools across Northern Ireland.
Extracts from Mairead Corrigan Maguire's keynote address at the Integrated Schools' Week in January 2001 -
- For thirty years the Integrated Education Movement has demonstrated its total commitment to peaceful co-existence by inviting parents and young people to demonstrate visibly and actively their rejection of violence, intolerance and blatant bigotry.
- The other sectors of education have made some efforts to embrace these ideals, and those schools, principals, teachers, parents and pupils who have participated in cross-community programmes deserve much credit.
- However their attempts have often been thwarted by a lack of total commitment by the authorities who paid lip-service to ideals which were then given inadequate support in terms of finance, teacher time, and other resources.
- In this area of cross-community education the Integrated Education Movement gives a great lead by its example. It might explore the possibility of being at the centre of a number of initiatives to include the supportive elements in the other sectors of education - particularly young people and teachers who feel that their support for these objectives render them open to criticism and disadvantage within their own educational environments.
- The phase of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland which we are now experiencing has created new problems and new challenges for all those who are committed to the search for lasting peace and respect in our community. The Integrated Education Movement might care to consider whether now is the time explore new avenues for the positive promotion of its ideals.
Any moves in this direction could lead to a meaningful new dimension in our society as a whole.