Opinion

More heat than light from SF

SINN Féin press office has been busy recently explaining how the mess over transferring from primary to post-primary school is not their fault. There's a saying in politics that when you have to explain your policy (or lack of it in this case) you're losing. In all the lines of newsprint expended by SF there is more heat generated than light so I would like one simple thing clarified. If as John O'Dowd says he is in favour of parental choice and parents all want their children to get the best chance in life, as most do.

If parents then think rightly or wrongly that a certain school will give their child the best chance and that happens to be a grammar, what guidance has he given to those schools who will be massively oversubscribed when they throw open their doors to everyone and if it is then physically impossible to take every child, how do they decide who gets the opportunity and who doesn't?

PETER McEVOY

Newry, Co Down