Integrated Education Fund

Hundreds of people signing up to a  campaign for education reform have Parliamentary backing, with an Early Day Motion at Westminster receiving the sponsorship of MPs from a range of parties.  As the One School of Thought campaign gathers pace, with more than a thousand signatories on its website, the Alliance MP for East Belfast, Naomi Long, has tabled an EDM calling on policymakers to support the push to make sharing in education a high priority.

The EDM (number 2297) states:

“That this House congratulates Lagan College on the 30th anniversary of its founding as the first integrated school in Northern Ireland; recognises that 30 years on and despite repeated public polls demonstrating high levels of public support for mixed religion schools and excess demand for them, still only seven per cent of children in Northern Ireland attend integrated schools which seek to promote mutual understanding; further recognises that greater moves to educate children together in Northern Ireland would both enhance a shared future and help overcome the segregation in society which sustains sectarianism; and urges policymakers to support the recently launched One School of Thought Campaign to make sharing in education a higher priority in light of the social and economic benefits, commitments in the Belfast Agreement and wider international support.”

With support from Jim Shannon (DUP) Margaret Ritchie (SDLP) and the independent MP Lady Hermon, the Motion is backed by members of all the Northern Ireland parties actively represented at Westminster.  Other sponsors include Labour’s former NI secretary, Paul Goggins, Peter Bottomley (Conservative) and Stephen Lloyd (Liberal Democrat).

The One School of Thought campaign launched with an open letter signed by 75 people from the worlds of business, arts and community activism, calling for a commission to investigate possible ways to reform education delivery in Northern Ireland.  Since then around two hundred people each week have added their names, either online or on paper. 

The movement was initiated by the Integrated Education Fund and organisers are keen to see that any reorganisation due to economic constraints gives due consideration to academic outcomes and the need for a shared and cohesive society.

Click here to access the list of MP’s currently supporting the EDM.