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What Sort of Education Future Should We Give Our Children?

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What Sort of Education Future Should We Give Our Children? An Independent Social Affairs Magazine www.viewdigital.org Issue 45, 2018 £2.95 What sort of education future should we give our children? A range of voices Guestt eeddiittoorr look at for tthhiiss iisssue is shared and columnniisst and inntteeggrraatteedd commeennttaattoor optioonnss Alex Kane Supported by VIEW, Issue 45, 2018 www.viewdigital.org Page 2 We need to listen to young people he Northern Ireland Commissioner In particular, we investigate ‘shared’ for Children and Young People Koulla and ‘integrated’ education models in Yiasouma told VIEW magazine that: Northern Ireland; we look at Omagh, Co T“Kids have far greater imagination about Tyrone, where in August 1998 the town the world than we do, they are looking centre was devastated by a bomb which forward and we are looking back.” killed 29 people. Her job is to safeguard the rights of The spotlight on education also children, and when it comes to education moves to Bosnia, where last year a group she would like to see lawmakers of pupils in the town of Jajce raised their “promoting shared education over voices against segregation by protesting in segregated education and integrated over the streets, jointly displaying Bosnian and everything else”. Croatian flags. We asked a local reporter The Commissioner wants young for an update. people’s voices to be heard in the Teachers, as well as politicians, education debate and she will call leaders academics and campaigners have given us to account “when they get it wrong”. By Una Murphy their views on educating children in VIEW digital publisher The right to education is enshrined in Northern Ireland today. the UN Convention on the Rights of the Email: [email protected] Thanks to everyone who contributed Child “no matter who they are, regardless insight into how a so-called ‘post-conflict’ to this edition of VIEW . of race, gender or disability”. society educates its children, with insights Especially our guest editor, columnist This edition of VIEW seeks to give an from Northern Ireland and Bosnia. and commentator Alex Kane. Become a VIEWdigital champion Contact Una Murphy at [email protected] if you enjoy our work and want to know more about becoming a VIEWdigital champion CRC Disclaimer – The publication has received financial support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council which aims to promote a pluralist society characterised by equity, respect for diversity and recognition of interdependence. The views expressed in the publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Community Relations Council. Regulated by IMPRESS, the independent monitor for the press. Contact IMPRESS at www.impress.press VIEW, Issue 45, 2018 www.viewdigital.org Page 3 VIEW , an independent social affairs Editorial magazine in Northern Ireland By guest editor, columnist and commentator Alex Kane n a poll for LucidTalk in March 2016 circumstances in which new non-sectarian over 1,000 respondents were asked parties would emerge? how important “educating children of • Do you think it would lead to the parking all communities within one common of the constitutional question? system” was? Eighty-two percent of • Do you think it would lead to greater so - Protestants/Catholics agreed that it was cial/housing integration? Ieither important or very important. That's why I • Do you think integrated education could The poll didn’t specifically mention be a form of 'engineering' designed to integrated education, but “within one make NI a better place? common system” can, for all intents and think we’ve • Do you think integrated education purposes, be taken to mean that. would lead to consensus on our In a poll three years earlier ended up with understanding of Northern Ireland and 68 percent said that the issue of help to heal divisions? segregated education should be a priority My personal view is that integrated for the Executive, with 57 percent saying that splendid education is broadly misunderstood. that a target date be set for complete Those who champion it regard it as a desegregation. Sixty-three percent agreed fudge known as ‘good thing’, the sort of ‘good thing’ which that the education system perpetuates ‘’ would, inevitably, make Northern Ireland a division, with 77 percent believing our ‘shared better place. international image would be improved But it seems to me that those with a single education system. champions have failed to address the sort These figures are nothing new. In the education’... of questions I set out above. early 1970s research indicated similar I think they have failed to grasp a levels of support for integrated education. but one thing brutal reality, too: namely, unionist and Yet almost 50 years on and integrated nationalist parties will be concerned by education provision accounts for less than anything which they think will do them 10 percent of school places. Why is that? we do know electoral damage further down the line. Why are politicians seemingly If the purpose of integrated education unwilling to push for reform when all of from the last is to change how we think about each the polling evidence suggests other, then how we think about each other overwhelming public support for it? 20 years: fudge say, in 20 years times, could have an Why, with the exception of Alliance electoral impact on existing unionist/ and some smaller parties, is integrated republican parties. education not a manifesto or Programme never works A simple rule of politics: don't for Government priority? endorse anything that could undermine It may be something to do with the you at some point. fact that the politicians don’t believe the And that's why I think we’ve ended up polls. I don’t mean that the pollsters have with that splendid fudge known as ‘shared got it wrong – they are reporting what education’. We already have a form of they’ve been told; but I think some parties that – with education spread across a believe that people are giving an answer number of providers. which they believe to be the ‘socially ‘Shared education’ is not integrated correct’ answer. In other words, ask people education, and nor is it a means of if they think educating children together is addressing, let alone resolving, the issue of a good thing and they probably will say yes. separating our children into specific What would be more interesting, community blocs (although I accept there though, is answers to questions like: is now some mixing in schools) from when • In what ways would Northern Ireland they can barely talk. change if there was integrated education? But one thing we do know from the • Do you think it would create the last 20 years: fudge never works. VIEW, Issue 45, 2018 www.viewdigital.org Page 4 Peter Osborne,the chair of the Community Relations Council, tells VIEW why he believes that segregation in education is socially and morally bankrupt as a concept here are two villages just over two provision alone. Yet we regularly hear Yet it effectively happens in teacher miles apart. They have a population about lack of money within the education training, costing over £2 million additional of nearly 4,000 people between sector including delays in infrastructure public subsidy annually to keep segregated Tthem, 760 of whom are under 16 years of investment and schools shaving a few teacher training colleges open; and with age. They have fewer than 300 children of thousand pounds off their budgets by significantly more teachers trained each primary school age. making classroom assistants redundant. year than we actually need. No wonder Yet, these two villages are served by That is not to advocate a particular many unemployed young teachers emigrate four primary schools. system. There is much to be positive to get a job. The villages will remain nameless. But about in all forms of education in Sharing makes a positive difference segregation in education will have major Northern Ireland, although too many but all programmes and systems should and lasting impact on these children as young people are still left behind; often demonstrate a continuum of moving they grow up; as they develop interests and those young people are living in the most children and young people from friendships, habits and life-long attitudes. disadvantaged communities and in the segregation to meaningful learning and These villages, like every other hamlet, most segregated areas. developing together, sustainable beyond village, town and city in Northern Ireland The duplication and waste of the the latest round of funding. are being condemned to another existing system, the moral and It is systemic change that is needed. generation of people living parallel lives, social dysfunction that it causes, In the USA 50 years ago Martin coming together too rarely and sometimes requires change. Luther King did as much as anyone to end in conflict. Those who advocate ending segregation in education. He once said Segregation in education is socially segregation in education are often accused true compassion isn’t tossing a few coins and morally bankrupt as a concept because of social engineering. Yet the greatest to a beggar you pass in the street; true it reinforces societal segregation and puts practice of social engineering is that compassion acknowledges that the system strain on how people live their lives, which keeps young people apart in giving rise to beggars needs changed. promoting a separate psyche. their formative years, a segregation True wisdom in Northern Ireland is Segregation in education is helping to which is then easier to sustain in realising that the systems giving rise to economically bankrupt how Northern succeeding years. segregated living over many years need to Ireland is governed with millions invested There is even segregation in teacher change; true courage is then speaking out in duplication of buildings, resources and training.
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