Trevor Lunn said: “Unionist hostility to integrated education is hardly a surprise although Sam Gardiner’s intervention is unusual. The criteria for qualification is not exact but surely Mr Gardiner is not advocating closure of good schools because of a slight imbalance in the ratio?
“I would like Mr Gardiner to provide clarity on his comments. Does he want these schools to be closed if the do not meet their enrolment criteria?
“Maybe he thinks that everybody in Northern Ireland is Protestant or catholic. If others were taken into account or the criterion changed to not more than a certain percentage of the majority population we would see a more accurate reflection of the real position.
“Parents who exercise their right to ask for integrated schools are leading the way forward in our community in a way that the tired and disorganized UCUNF dinosaurs can only dream about. How many controlled schools do they think would close if the enrolment rules were strictly applied? Maybe it suits a UCUNF agenda to see things in such terms but it is unrealistic, and sniping at those who see the integrated movement as vital as well as providing a first class and holistic education does them no credit at all.”
ENDS