CONCERNS expressed by up to 40 parents who attended a meeting about academic selection and the transfer test on Tuesday night at the Balmoral Hotel are to be sent to the Education Minister Caitriona Ruane.
The panellists at the public meeting organised by the SDLP included local principals, a Professor of Education from QUB as well as local political representatives
Speaking after the event Cllr Matthew McDermott said they wanted the meeting to prov
ide a platform for parents to express their views and he said it was obvious, following comments made by many parents, that they were were still very concerned about the the future of their children's education.
The public meeting on Tuesday night
He said: "It is clear from the mood in the room that parents, teachers and most worryingly, children are in deep stress and are concerned about this situation.
"It is important that this issue does not to go off the political radar, particularly over the summer months.
"We want to provide a platform for parents and teachers to air their views and ideas around finding a solution to the current untenable situation. Many concerns as well as ideas were expressed, and we will be submitting these to the Minister, the Assembly Education Committee and all party leaders in a report drawn up from the meeting."
Mr McDermott said Sinn Fein and the DUP must shoulder a massive burden of blame for this mess.
"But both the State and those Catholic grammar schools that, by their stubbornness, have contributed to this situation must also equally shoulder a share of responsibility," he said,
"School children deserve better than this, better than the unregulated, unfair and unstable system. The SDLP will be keeping pressure on all the parties involved in this mess."
mary.magee@ulsterstar.co.uk
