SAVE OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION
SAVE OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION
At A North Down Borough Council meeting I reminded Councillors that this Council led the way in Northern Ireland in our campaign to say NO to water tax. We had almost 11,000 people who signed the petition in North Down, run by Councillors. This told the then Minister in very clear terms the people had a voice and demanded to be heard. The end result was that the introduction was delayed as Ministers promised to reconsider their proposals
We now have another Minister threatening to destroy our education system. Parents and children have a democratic choice of which primary school they wish to attend. There is at present the choice in second level education, whether it is, secondary, grammar or integrated. Even at third level there is a choice of further education or university.
The Ministers present proposals will result in pupils being admitted to post-primary schools on the basis of post-codes – or worse still even by lottery. This will inevitably lead to some form of comprehensive education with a reduction of parental choice and a lowering of our already very high standards. Repeated polls, of the population – including the Departments own survey – clearly show that Northern Ireland people do not want this.
The question is why are English Ministers defying what the people of this country want. Why do they have such a desire to vandalise one of the best education systems in the world by imposing the Costello proposals on us.
This Council is on record of already making it clear that it is utterly opposed to the Costello dogma. I suggest that we must now take this further by mounting a petition campaign to the people of this Borough – organised on the same highly successful lines as our campaign against the water charges.
I also propose that the petition is sent to all Councils in Northern Ireland and that people are given a basic democratic right to demand what they feel is best for their children. .
Therefore, I propose we run a campaign called “Save our Children’s Education”
We the undersigned oppose Government’s proposals for post primary education which will lead to the destruction to many of our excellent schools.
We believe that the implementation of the Costello report will force schools to determine admission by postcode or even worse by lottery.
This will inevitably lead to the introduction of comprehensive education, a reduction in parental choice and a lowering of our high educational standards.
We DEMAND that the Minister stops this educational vandalism and ensures that in any new system account must be taken on the APITITUDE AND ABILITY of pupils.
At A North Down Borough Council meeting I reminded Councillors that this Council led the way in Northern Ireland in our campaign to say NO to water tax. We had almost 11,000 people who signed the petition in North Down, run by Councillors. This told the then Minister in very clear terms the people had a voice and demanded to be heard. The end result was that the introduction was delayed as Ministers promised to reconsider their proposals
We now have another Minister threatening to destroy our education system. Parents and children have a democratic choice of which primary school they wish to attend. There is at present the choice in second level education, whether it is, secondary, grammar or integrated. Even at third level there is a choice of further education or university.
The Ministers present proposals will result in pupils being admitted to post-primary schools on the basis of post-codes – or worse still even by lottery. This will inevitably lead to some form of comprehensive education with a reduction of parental choice and a lowering of our already very high standards. Repeated polls, of the population – including the Departments own survey – clearly show that Northern Ireland people do not want this.
The question is why are English Ministers defying what the people of this country want. Why do they have such a desire to vandalise one of the best education systems in the world by imposing the Costello proposals on us.
This Council is on record of already making it clear that it is utterly opposed to the Costello dogma. I suggest that we must now take this further by mounting a petition campaign to the people of this Borough – organised on the same highly successful lines as our campaign against the water charges.
I also propose that the petition is sent to all Councils in Northern Ireland and that people are given a basic democratic right to demand what they feel is best for their children. .
Therefore, I propose we run a campaign called “Save our Children’s Education”
We the undersigned oppose Government’s proposals for post primary education which will lead to the destruction to many of our excellent schools.
We believe that the implementation of the Costello report will force schools to determine admission by postcode or even worse by lottery.
This will inevitably lead to the introduction of comprehensive education, a reduction in parental choice and a lowering of our high educational standards.
We DEMAND that the Minister stops this educational vandalism and ensures that in any new system account must be taken on the APITITUDE AND ABILITY of pupils.
posted by Marion Smith at 9:46 AM
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