A 10-year-old’s letter about being ‘othered’ by Northern Ireland’s school system has sparked a call for party leaders to “do better”.
The head of North West Migrant Forum, Lilian Seenoi Barr, got the handwritten note from Muslim child Yara who was applying to the integrated sector.
In it, the little girl described how she found it hard to sign up for schools because only two religious backgrounds are included in the criteria.
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Currently, applicants to integrated schools are asked if they are from the ‘Protestant community’, ‘Roman Catholic community’ or ‘none/other’.
“I refuse to be called other, it isn’t nice,” Yara told Lilian in her letter.
“I personally know other people who also feel very strongly against this, such as yourself, I hope that you can do something to stop this.”
Lilian praised Yara’s bravery in highlighting the issue.
And has now called on party leaders across Northern Ireland to end the “deeply unfair practice of ‘othering’ school children who don’t identify as Catholic or Protestant”.
“What we are doing here is telling young people that they don’t belong, that they are an ‘other’,” she added.
“The majority of these children will have been born here, they aren’t ‘newcomers’ or ‘children of immigrants’.
“But 25 years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement they are still being made to feel they are somehow less equal or less worthy.
“If Northern Ireland is to move on and become an inclusive society then we need to stop using this language, we need to start recognising that these young people have an identity that they are very proud of and that they are much more than an ‘other’.”
Calling for more inclusive terminology, Ms Barr added: “Instead of having to tick a box stating ‘other’, let people say how they identify.
“Instead of ‘other’, ask the question what is your ethnicity?
“If they say Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Pentecostal, none or whatever then that is fine, at least that way we will have a better picture of the make up of Northern Ireland in modern society.
“But we need to review or renew this exclusionary language and I intend to make representations to see that it happens.”
Sinn Fein ’s leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill responded to the charity’s Twitter post about Yara’s letter saying: “Hi Yara, Thank you for writing the letter about school admissions and how this makes you feel. I fully understand why you do not want to identify as ‘other’.
“I want you to now that you are a very much valued part of our society and I want you to feel that every day.
“I want to ensure our education system values everyone equally so I want to assure you that I will follow up on this on your behalf and on behalf of all our children.”
The Integrated Education Fund has been contacted for comment.
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