Integrated education animated film with Ciaran Hinds

Belfast actor Ciaran Hinds features in integrated education animated film

Transcript

00:00In May 1998, the people of Ireland, North and South, took a collective breath. The signing

00:14of the Good Friday Agreement, and its overwhelming endorsement by both parts of Ireland, laid

00:20the foundations for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The agreement confirmed

00:26a commitment to encourage and facilitate integrated education as an essential part

00:32of the reconciliation process. But to date, no government has planned for integrated schools

00:38in Northern Ireland. Instead, it has fallen to parents and schools to make integrated

00:43education a viable choice. And they've been remarkably successful. In 1998, Northern Ireland

00:51had 43 integrated schools with some 12,000 pupils. In 2024, we grew to over 70 schools

01:00educating more than 28,000 pupils, and numbers are rising. These schools prove that children

01:08and young people from all religious and cultural backgrounds can learn with, from, and about

01:15each other, helping dispel generations of fear and misunderstanding. And the benefits

01:21are lifelong. Research indicates that integrated students will go on to develop positive social

01:27attitudes and nurture more friendships across our traditional divide. The Integrated Education

01:35Fund has helped to establish some 28 integrated schools working alongside the Council for

01:40Integrated Education, creating an additional 16,000 places since 1998. Every year we work

01:48with more parents and schools to create an integrated choice in their community. But

01:54integrated education involves more than bringing together pupils from different religious and

01:59cultural backgrounds. It means developing an inclusive ethos that permeates the entire

02:06school community and says, let's acknowledge and celebrate our differences. Nor does integration

02:14happen by accident. It is intentional, and it is challenging work. It takes commitment

02:20and courage. It requires mutual respect, regardless of belief systems, viewpoints, and identities.

02:28It asks us to consider different versions of history and acknowledge our own bias. It

02:33helps us to develop listening skills and empathy. Above all, it is an ethos that must

02:41be regularly challenged, reviewed, and renewed. We believe that integrated education can play

02:49a vital role in building a peaceful and shared society throughout Northern Ireland. It has

02:55shown that we can all work together and come to learn and celebrate our differences rather

03:00than fear them. Yes, it's still largely a grassroots and parent-led response to our

03:06divided society. But now, following new legislative commitments for government, there is increased

03:13optimism that integrated education will be actively supported, encouraged, and facilitated.

03:20The Integrated Education Act offers a springboard for further growth. It allows the demand for

03:26integrated education to be measured fairly and accurately so that every child and young

03:32person who wants to follow this form of education can do so. It may even move us

03:38towards the day when learning together, all day, every day, is the norm.