Trevor Lunn MLA said: “Virtually none of the DUP questioners in the Assembly following Stephen Farry’s statement discussed the issue of a shared future, but instead chose to go back to the us and them rhetoric.
“The only way we can achieve a shared teacher training system is through the strategy set out by the Employment and Learning Minister in the Assembly. The DUP do not remotely support the process he set out.
“Following all their talk of a shared future at their conference at the weekend, the DUP have failed their first test through their reaction to Stephen Farry’s strategy. “What Dr Farry set out highlights the cost of division and demonstrates the only viable routemap to a shared and integrated teacher training system in Northern Ireland.
“The DUP also demonstrated their level of support for integrated education when they voted against my amendment in October which said integrated and shared education could help tackle the issue of school closures.
“Alliance is the only party that makes tackling segregation, in education and throughout our society, our top priority.
“The DUP Leader has talked about make progress on integrated education, but his comments are very seriously undermined by the actions of his Assembly colleagues who reacted so strongly against Stephen Farry’s strategy on teacher training and voted against the amendment promoting shared and integrated education in October.” ENDS