Sir, - In her letter (December 9th), responding to mine of November 18th regarding integrated schooling in Northern Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese appeared to misinterpret my position. She stated that I support "the forced, mandatory integration of all of our schools" and "a compulsory secular school system for all children" and that I would "not only forcibly integrate the schools, but also forcibly integrate housing".
Neither I nor the Alliance Party has ever suggested forcible or mandatory integration of schooling, and it would of course be absurd even to contemplate the forcible integration of housing. What I did say was that "every parent should have the right to send their children to a school open to all comers, including black, white, Catholic, Protestant, Jew, etc.". In other words, all parents should have the opportunity, if they wish, to have their children educated with children from a range of backgrounds.
Until 1981, there was not one non-denominational school in Northern Ireland. At present, only two per cent of schools are committed to admitting children from Protestant and Catholic backgrounds, and therefore the opportunity does not exist for the large majority of children to receive mixed schooling.
The further development of mixed schooling would not, of course, in itself solve Northern Ireland's problems. However, common sense surely dictates that the more opportunities that people of different religions and backgrounds have to mix together, the more likely it is that we shall eventually find some way of resolving the sad divisions in our society. - Yours, etc.,
Alliance Party, Dorchester Park, Belfast BT9 6RH.