Sinn Féin boost integrated education by over 10% in just 2 years

[factual]

In the two years of Sinn Féin's tenure of the Six County Education Portfolio, Caitriona Ruane has boosted the numbers in Integrated Schools by 10%. At a time when school rolls are falling, this is a significant contribution to the shared future agenda, an agenda of which Brian Cowen has recently spoken strongly in support.

Caitriona Ruane discusses her promotion of Integrated Education here:

Caitríona Ruane: Integrated schools comments ‘without foundation’ - Letters, Opinion - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Brian Cowen's support for the shared future agenda is being discussed on this thread:

http://www.politics.ie/northern-irel...divisions.html

[Mr.De-Regulation]

Congrats. First positive thing about SF I have ever heard.

[factual]

Congrats. First positive thing about SF I have ever heard.

It is good, glad you agree.

[Ryan_Mac]

catriona ruane is still an atrocious minister imo.

[factual]

catriona ruane is still an atrocious minister imo.

The media are against her but if you look at her record it is very good - increasing the enrollment in integrated schools by 10% in just 2 years flat. If the growth of integrated education continues at this rate then it will soon be making a significant positive impact on the shared future agenda.

[factual]

BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | My plinth has come...

This woman - who went to a six county integrated school - is making a stand on this issue. She has stated: "I am still surprised that just six per cent of the population attend integrated schools in Northern Ireland. One of the big issues is that they are over subscribed. If people's choice is integrated then it should be there for them. "Pupils are turned away every year because there are just not enough places available"

More from the Integrated Education website here:

http://www.nicie.org/newsroom/news_d...540&ntype=news

[COLOR=black]“I wanted to celebrate the 6% of Northern Ireland pupils who now attend integrated schools” says Nóra Murray Cavanagh. Nóra was one of the lucky 10% of applicants chosen to have one hour on the 3-month long “One and Other” public art project on the vacant plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square. The project, by artist Anthony Gormley, lasts from 6 July to 14 October. 2,400 one-hour slots.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]“I am going to spend my time on the plinth celebrating those 6% of Northern Ireland’s pupils”, says Nóra, “and the whole ethos of educating children together in a society that is still deeply divided in spite of the hard work of the current peace process”.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]A former student of Oakgrove Integrated Primary and Oakgrove Integrated College in Derry~Londonderry, Dr Nóra is coming down to London from her work in an Edinburgh medical practice for her one hour allocation from 10pm-11 pm on Tuesday 21 July 2009.[/COLOR]

[st333ve]

Integrated education is just a way of giving the nationalist kids a more British unionist leaning education, thats why its not so popular.

Integrated schools arnt some magical way to end the problems in the north, they go way beyond schools.

[Glennshane]

[URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8159246.stm"]BBC NEWS | UK | |

[COLOR=black]“I wanted to celebrate the 6% of Northern Ireland pupils who now attend integrated schools” says Nóra Murray Cavanagh.

Is this Nora Murray Cavanagh the daugher of Colm Cavanagh, a blow-in from Donegal who has been living in Derry for very many years and who has been compaigning for integrated education for more than 30 years?

[SevenStars]

Integrated education is just a way of giving the nationalist kids a more British unionist leaning education, thats why its not so popular.

Integrated schools arnt some magical way to end the problems in the north, they go way beyond schools.

In my experiance the traditionaly Roman Catholic part of the Irish population of the occupied six is not sectarian or only mildly so in a way that is understandable given their situation however the traditionally protestant part of the population is. I agree that intergrated education go near to solving the underlying probelmn of the north (Occupation by London) but it could go a serious way to humanizing the traditionally RC in the eyes of the "Ulster British" which would only be a good thing.

[TimBuckII]

Integrated education is just a way of giving the nationalist kids a more British unionist leaning education, thats why its not so popular.

Integrated schools arnt some magical way to end the problems in the north, they go way beyond schools.

That's a very narrow view of it with no regard to the many other socail aspects to integration. I went to a catholic shool and recieved a very British education. My Nationalist veiws came from home.