The Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown (july 22), described Michelle O’Neill’s comment that “Let’s help break the cycle of segregation in education” as a trope. Now for a proper trope, that it is the Catholic Church’s fear and its constant battles against everything progressive from gay marriage, Article 8, divorce and now even a single education system, that is key to its falling attendances and declining influence. Regarding education I would go further and advocate for a single and secular education system. My father, when asked by me, what his role was as a ‘father’ replied: “My role is to liberate not indoctrinate”. The Church’s role has always been the opposite. The bishop highlights that the Catholic maintained sector is the highest achieving sector in Northern Ireland. He is right but fails to understand that education has other roles such as to build a sense of a common citizenship and social cohesion which the current structure fails to do. He then pontificates about the centralist monochrome “the state knows best”, world of education. Just to be clear there is no more monochrome and centralist institution in the world than the Catholic Church. He further says he “seeks no privileges”. So, what do you call wanting to maintain our apartheid system of education? Where I agree with Bishop McKeown is that the Church do have a right to be at the table to engage in an informed debate around reimagining education both in terms of its structure and its content but not to protect its own narrow self-interest. Education is key to both ours and our children’s future, covering issues such as, teaching children how to navigate the information, eco system, the climate crisis and its consequences, creating an educational culture that embraces the joy of acquiring knowledge and not simply the narrow process of the passing through an exam factory. What is required is a pivot to the five Cs of education, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and curiosity and teachers trained to teach the curriculum of the future. I do not want to take religion or its institutions out of the public square, just that part of the square where the job is to teach, not to preach. Finally, I am evangelical about secular education and if we want our children to coalesce around challenges that face humankind such as climate change, the future of work, the rise of nativism and growing income and wealth inequality, then it is a no-brainer to assert that the current system is failing both our children and our society.
SUNEIL SHARMA
Belfast BT8
Army of citizens have suffered severe consequences of opioid side-effects
THE OPIUM wars have cast a long shadow over relations between China and the West, but a different Opium War is being played out in our own time. ‘Drug firms to fund vast US opioid deal’ was a report in the London Times (July 22) which describes a proposed $26 billion compensation agreement in the US.
Much of the detail in the fine report is probably hard for the average reader to comprehend, but the figures of money involved start to make more sense when a graph of opioid overdose deaths adjacent to the text is studied. Overdose deaths in the US involving opioids have risen exponentially to around 50,000 lives lost per year.
The wider human suffering or cost to society must be staggering and the $26bn settlement in progress needs to be viewed in this context. As a younger NHS employee in the 1990s I remember the marketing drive by pharmaceutical reps to promote the use of oral or transdermal opioid products. Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) spoke of life being “understood backwards” but “lived forwards” and it’s probably wrong to judge ourselves (or others) too harshly.
The government and regulatory systems have now made really positive progress, in placing sensible limits on drug company marketing to NHS staff, and this is most definitely to be welcomed. It’s maybe too late, though, for an army of citizens who have suffered the severe consequence of opioid side-effects – many unheard or unseen victims.
JT HARDY
Belfast BT5
Shock at SF assertion that abortion is a ‘tribal issue’
As a nationalist but primarily a Catholic in my early forties, I would like to state my support for the first minister’s statement to fight the imposition of abortion on the north. I am shocked at Michelle O’Neill’s assertion on Twitter that abortion is a tribal issue, that it is only unionists who are opposed to abortion. She is very aware that many of her voters oppose abortion.
I would implore Catholics to vote pro-life to send a message to Michelle that the abortion discussion within her electorate is not finalised. It is time for the pro-life people of the north to stand up and be counted. For me this is the most important battle of our times, there is still time to hold out against the tide, but sadly, it would appear, not for long.
AIDAN GRIBBIN
Castledawson, Co Derry
Chance to make a difference to lives of hungry children
I’d like to make Irish News readers aware of a unique opportunity to make a big difference to the lives of hungry children in the world’s poorest countries this summer. For anyone who becomes a monthly giver to global school feeding charity Mary’s Meals before the end of August, their first three donations will be tripled, meaning the impact of their regular gifts will go even further. This is thanks to a group of generous supporters who are making funds available up to £100,000 for tripling donations from new regular givers for a limited period. You can help Mary’s Meals to access all the available funds by setting up a monthly Direct Debit by 31 August here. (marysmeals.org.uk/tripled). Mary’s Meals feeds more than 1.8 million hungry children in 19 countries every school day.
This funding boost will bring fresh hope to families struggling amidst the continuing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit the world’s poorest countries especially hard, and will also help Mary’s Meals in its goal to reach two million children with a nutritious meal every school day.
I am proud to support Mary’s Meals and hope that this summer readers can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to see their kindness go three times as far.
MARK BEAUMONT
Long-distance cyclist, broadcaster and author
