As a teacher of 33 years in post-primary and primary education, whose three children have been educated in Derry, I urge all parents to support the Minister of Education's proposals to abolish academic selection.

In the mid 80s I chose to send my eldest child to a grammar school, which I still regret. I did not allow my next two children to sit the Transfer test (11+) as I was determined not to expose them to the inherent stress and unbalanced curriculum it would involve. Instead I chose to send them to Oakgrove Integrated College as it was committed to educating children with mixed abilities. Both these children blossomed there, becoming confident, happy, tolerant and socially aware young adults, following academic routes, making many friends throughout the school community. School life wasn't always perfect, but they grew up in a mini-microcosm of society, learning to deal with challenges that all of us meet in society, not 'selected off' into a false learning environment, protected from the realities of learning to respect and appreciate other young people with talents other than their own academic ones.

For many years now we have been failing the majority of our young people. We have the highest percentage of young people in the 'western' world leaving school illiterate and innumerate, feeling disenfranchised from, and disillusioned with, education in particular, and life in general. Non-grammar schools have been persistently under-funded and under-resourced by successive governments, encouraged by certain people wanting to promote and preserve privilege and class interests.

This is an exciting time! We now have the chance to provide all young people the equality of opportunity they justly deserve.

There is no doubt that some of the finer details of the 'how' need to be teased out, but we have the time to do that. So let's trust the Minister of Education and support her endeavours to create an education system that values, respects and supports all young people.

Daisy Mules,

Derry

(by email)