UUP’s McCrea claims minister ’sectarian’
William Graham, Political Correspondent
Publication date: 28 April 2009
Source: The Irish News
(c) 2009, The Irish News Ltd. All Rights reserved.
Education minister Caitriona Ruane was accused of being “sectarian” during an assembly debate yesterday.
Ulster Unionist education spokesman Basil McCrea claimed the minister was dealing unfairly with many pupils in her changes to academic selection.
“What advice will she give to parents who will be discriminated by her own free school meals criteria as highlighted – where 62 per cent of pupils are from the Catholic tradition and only 29 per cent are from the Protestant tradition?” Mr McCrea said.
“She is sectarian, she is trying to divide us and she will not succeed in destroying Northern Ireland.”
Ms Ruane replied: “Well, the best way to deal with that rant is to give facts.”
She said in Belfast there were 28 post-primary schools – 12 grammar schools and 16 secondary schools.
“The 12 grammar schools now educate 54 per cent of the children. The 16 secondary schools educate the remaining 46 per cent,” she said.
“Some 3,010 of the desks in the 16 secondary schools are empty.”
The minister said that, in the 16 secondary schools, 35 per cent of children qualified for free school meals whereas 5 per cent of pupils did so in the 12 grammars.
Ms Ruane said she was she “not going to allow children to be discriminated against”.