The Department of Education (DE), the education ministry for Northern Ireland, is doing historic things to ensure better support for integrated education. This program has been an integral component to the Vision 2030 program. This smart, strategic plan commits more than half of the department’s capital budget to building new integrated schools. It creates a phased, 2025-2030 development outline that gives specific goals and benchmarks to follow. Unlike the state’s previous actions, the DE does have a legal obligation to prioritize integrated education. It hopes to be spending some £500 million on new school buildings annually by 2030.
Today, Northern Ireland is home to 71 integrated schools, a number that the Department of Education would like to see grow. Integrated education lessens bias and increases confidence among students, according to experts. It does this by mixing students from all different socio-economic conditions. Less than one-third of the students in these schools are Protestant. Another third are Catholic, while the last third are from non-Christian or non-religious backgrounds. Despite this push, only 8% of school-children in Northern Ireland go to integrated schools.
The Vision 2030 strategy clearly prioritises directing support to integrated schools at the expense of maintained and Irish medium schools. To this day, there is no legal duty to fund charter schools. This has led to fierce fighting between politicians over the inequity of our existing school system.
“Integrated education has much to offer the school system and society as a whole.” – Vision 2030 strategy
The strategy identifies how many more young people should experience this integrated education. It further underscores the need for parents’ choices to be respected. The DE envisions surveying parents in April 2025 to receive a sense of society’s overall willingness to adopt integrated education. This is a great step toward figuring out what parents want and creating policies to meet their needs.
“More young people should have access to these benefits that integrated education provides, and above all, parental choice must be respected and supported.” – DUP MLA Peter Martin
The development of integrated education in Northern Ireland has a long and storied history dating back more than 40 years. It started with the establishment of the very first integrated school, Lagan College. Though born out of a historically progressive movement, the road to an equitable, holistic educational experience is still riddled with barriers. Last week, Education Minister Paul Givan rejected applications from two North Down schools to convert to integrated status.
“We live in a society emerging from conflict.” – Vision 2030 strategy
That moment came in March 2022 when the legal framework for integrated education was truly cemented. First, it required the Department of Education to raise the number of integrated school spaces and the student body in such institutions. This legislative effort seeks to bridge our nation’s divides by educating a more connected and informed public.
“Everyone agrees that children of different faiths and backgrounds should be open and welcome in all schools.” – DUP MLA Peter Martin
