Ulster Unionist MLA and education spokesperson Danny Kinahan has said that shared education must be a process, not an end in itself.  Speaking in an Assembly debate about the costs of division, the South Antrim MLA, said that area based planning for the schools estate had turned out to be a missed opportunity, with sectors being rationalised in isolation from each other.

 Mr Kinahan said:

 “The Shared Education Bill that we have been promised could be the acid test of whether this Assembly and its Executive are serious about desegregation and promoting cohesion, sharing and integration. In recent debates, some Members, particularly the signatories to the motion, have argued that shared education is a ploy or a ruse to avoid what they would see as truly integrated education.

  “As far as I am concerned, however, the jury is still out. The Ulster Unionist Party will wait to see the contents of the Shared Education Bill with an open mind. What is clear is that shared education must be a process, not an end in itself. We want a single education system in the medium to long term.

 “If we look at area planning, we see that, so far, it has been an opportunity missed. There is no evidence that anyone has been looking at the bigger picture. In fact, a cynic would conclude that the various sectors have been allowed to rationalise their own estate, completely oblivious to the other schools in the area.

 Area planning has failed to follow its two guiding principles; namely, to identify realistic, innovative and creative solutions to address need, including opportunities for shared schooling on a cross-sectoral basis, and to maximise the use and sharing of the existing schools estate.

 “How can the process even be described as area-based planning when the maintained sector has already planned its own future with little regard for shared education? There is continuing uncertainty in many parts of our divided education system, and very little leadership has been shown by the Department or its Minister.”