Educational Background
Education in Northern Ireland is highly religiously segregated, with 95% of pupils attending either a maintained (Catholic) school or a controlled school (mostly Protestant, but open to all faiths and none), both funded by the state- by varying amounts. Teaching a balanced view of some subjects (especially history) is difficult in these conditions. The churches in Northern Ireland have not been involved in the development of integrated schools. The schools have been established by the voluntary efforts of parents.
The first integrated school, Lagan College, was established in Belfast in 1981 by the campaigning parent group All Children Together. In 1985, three more integrated schools opened in Belfast offering parents in the city an alternative to the existing segregated schools.
Read more about this topic: Integrated Education
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