Education And Rights

Sir, - Am I the only one to notice the irony and double standards that surround the education of primary school children on this…

Sir, - Am I the only one to notice the irony and double standards that surround the education of primary school children on this island?

On Thursday there were three stories in the media about education and children being used as pawns in parental politics.

There was of course the sickening coverage of the shameful horror of Ardoyne. Less contentiously, there was the story about the poor little rich kid who supposedly didn't want to learn Irish and whose father was going to force his own agenda by "buying" an Irish teacher and manipulating media coverage.

Then there was the story of the Traveller family in Co. Galway forced to move because of a boycott by supposedly upstanding and concerned parents. Will the Garda mount a security operation to ensure their right to education?

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Ardoyne has made us all acutely aware of a child's right to, and need for, education and how our actions as adults, for whatever reason, can have a lasting impact on the formative minds of children.

It is important for all our futures that children are not burdened by the baggage of their parent's bigotry. Children are blessed with open minds. Let's try to keep it that way. - Yours, etc.,

Anthony McEvoy, Taney Crescent, Goatstown, Dublin 14.