As the first integrated school in Northern Ireland celebrated its twentieth anniversary, Children's Express reporters consider its relevance today.
| I didn’t get an opportunity to understand people from a different background. I wanted to make sure my son had that opportunity. |
Twenty years ago, with only 28 pupils and no government funding, Lagan Integrated College opened its doors to welcome both Catholic and Protestant school children into the classroom, a move seen by many as doomed to failure.
Integrated education, based on a pluralist system, brings Protestant and Catholic young people together in a school where they are taught by teachers from both traditions.
After three years of hard fundraising and lobbying by parents and teachers, the government agreed to accept Lagan College into the education system and fund the school.
Conor Magowan Greene, 11, who started Lagan College this September said: "I could have gone to any school because I got my 11-plus but I put Lagan as first choice because I wanted a balanced education that looked at things from a non-biased point of view."
Currently, there are forty-five integrated schools in Northern Ireland, which provide education for 14,500 pupils and there are proposals underway to open more.
Lagan College Principal Helen McHugh believes integrated schools and pupils have a vital role in building peace and understanding in Northern Ireland's divided society.
"It is important for young people (from all communities) to have the opportunity to mix at the stage when they're at school. It is leaving it too late if you wait until they've left school and gone out into the world," she said.
While there are a range of secondary level options available, including Catholic, Protestant, grammar, secondary, Independent and public schools, a recent survey conducted by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) shows that 85 percent of the population favour integrated learning.
Last year, over 1,000 pupils were unable to gain a place in an integrated school.
NICIE and a property development agency are holding discussions on ways to incorporate integrated schools into a future "Urban Village" housing development scheme.
Michael Wardlow, chair of NICIE believes integrated schools are the heartbeat of fully integrated communities. "Three quarters of us live in areas with 90% of one tradition making up the population. I believe that if you put an integrated school in a new development from day one, then you draw an integrated community," he said.
Billy Hutchinson Progressive Unionist representative at the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly fully supports the integrated schooling ethos and sends his son to Hazelwood College in Belfast.
As a former paramilitary, Mr Hutchinson admits living in a segregated community can be both limiting and damaging.
"I didn't want my son growing up in the same politics as I did. I didn't get a chance or an opportunity to understand people from a different background and I wanted to make sure that my son had that opportunity…I believe that learning to tolerate doesn't make you any less a Unionist," he said.
Other supporters believe by providing integrated education as a schooling option, young people can become equipped with the necessary tools to bring about better understanding and reconciliation in Northern Ireland's embittered society.
Councillor for the Women's Coalition Patricia Wallace sends both her children to Lagan College. "We're bringing up a generation that realises there are points of view on each side and they have friends on either side. I think it will make a big contribution to bringing the peace process on, although it is not the whole answer to the problem."
About the team
This article was produced by Daniel Monaghan, 15, Stephanie McCann, 14, Ciara Leathem, 14, Paul McAteer, 15. It was published in the News Letter.
