MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
Clear pathway required: Comparing denominational education reform in Northern Ireland and N.L.

Similarities can be observed in Newfoundland and Labrador and Northern Ireland's dialects, rolling hills and rainy climates.

And, historically, both areas have seen religious divisions between Catholic and Protestant religious communities.

A recent comparative study led by education experts from Canada and Northern Ireland has revealed significant differences in the paths taken by both locales regarding the transition from denominational (church-based) schools to integrated public education.

Despite similarities in their initial steps toward reform, the two regions experienced vastly different outcomes, largely due to political context, historical tensions and differences in government leadership.

Same scenario, different experience

Dr. Gerald Galway // Photo: Submitted

Dr. Gerald Galway, a professor in Memorial University's Faculty of Education, and Dr. Roger Austin, emeritus professor of education at Ulster University, who met at a symposium on post-reform schooling held at Memorial in 2008, conducted the research.

Together with Dr. William Hunter, emeritus professor at Ontario Technical University, the researchers explored why Newfoundland and Labrador successfully ended its denominational school system while Northern Ireland's efforts to integrate schools have been slower, far less structured and more tentative.

In the 1990s, Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial government moved to convert the province's denominational schools to public schools.

The reform came after extensive debate and public consultations, two referenda and a constitutional amendment.

"N.L.'s political leaders acted as "policy entrepreneurs" . . . ensuring that the transition was not only accepted but also supported by key stakeholders." Dr. Gerald Galway

A combination of political will and economic necessity also drove the transition, says Dr. Galway.

"In contrast to Northern Ireland, where denominational schools remain the norm, Newfoundland and Labrador's political leaders acted as "policy entrepreneurs," playing a pivotal role in ensuring that the transition was not only accepted but also supported by key stakeholders, including the teachers' association, the business community and a large section of the public," he said.

"The decision to end church-based schools in Newfoundland and Labrador was driven by strong political will and determined leadership from the provincial government, which had to face down concerted opposition from the Christian churches and from other sections of the population," Dr. Austin said.

Entrenched political divides

The government of Northern Ireland did not provide a clear pathway for the transition to integrated schooling, leaving local parents and community members struggling to move forward with reform on a school-by-school basis, Dr. Galway says.

Northern Ireland's reform effort has also been hampered by political complexities and strong resistance from religious groups, particularly the Catholic Church, which continues to exert considerable influence in both political and educational spheres.

He says Northern Ireland faces particular challenges.

"The structural complexity of the school system, combined with the long history of social segregation, political conflict and religious violence, makes it difficult to replicate the Newfoundland and Labrador model."

In addition, the two largest political parties, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, have both resisted full integration in education.

'Caught in a catch-22'

While the Northern Irish public supports integrated education, less than 10 per cent of children there are enrolled in integrated schools, and the process remains slow and voluntary.

This has led to what the researchers describe as a "weak school reform strategy," where the responsibility is placed on individual school communities to push for change, without sufficient government support.

"The reform movement in Northern Ireland is not well-supported by a strong government agenda for reform." Dr. Gerald Galway

The key takeaway is the importance of decisive political action in driving education reform, they say.

The Newfoundland and Labrador experience demonstrates that a clear, communicated agenda, supported by strong organizational backing and the political will to overcome opposition, can lead to transformative change in the education system.

"The reform movement in Northern Ireland is not well-supported by a strong government agenda for reform," said Dr. Galway. "Parents and community members pushing for desegregation are caught in a catch-22 situation: they need funding to make the transition to integrated schools, but until these schools are established, they can't receive state support."

More proactive role

Northern Ireland's government must take a more proactive role, the researchers say.

Without it, the transition to integrated education will remain slow and uneven, and the entrenched system of denominational schooling may persist.

While there are clear lessons to be drawn from Newfoundland and Labrador's successful school reform, the researchers caution against assuming that these lessons can be directly applied to Northern Ireland.

They say the social, political and historical contexts in the two regions are "vastly" different.

The End of Denominational Schooling in Newfoundland: Lessons for Northern Ireland? will be published in the next issue of Global Comparative Education.