NI Conservatives’ education spokeswoman, Annika Nestius-Brown, has accused the education minister of failing to back shared education, after John O’Dowd turned down an application to increase capacity at Drumragh Integrated College in Omagh.
“This is an integrated school which is bursting at the seams, because it offers an excellent standard of education and parents want their children to be taught in a shared environment”, Annika explained. “Yet the minister has denied it the opportunity to grow, claiming that it will adversely affect other, segregated schools in the area. That neatly sums up John O’Dowd’s dogmatic attitude to shared education. The truth is that Sinn Féin thrives on division, whether in schools or in wider society.”
“The Good Friday Agreement set down a requirement for the executive to encourage integrated education, yet the minister makes a decision like this which preserves segregation to the detriment of a successful integrated school. This is an issue where parents and pupils are way ahead of institutions and politicians. It is hugely positive that the demand for shared schools is increasing and the executive should be doing all that it can to encourage their growth.”
“The NI Conservatives believe that it is parents, rather than institutions or politicians, who should decide on shared education. Every survey and all the available evidence shows that the demand for shared schools is huge and growing. John O’Dowd should stop trying to hamper efforts to make learning together the norm for our children.”