b'Sincethemovementtoeducate Dr\x00 Maurice Hayes CatholicandProtestantchildren 1981 was the year Lagan College, the firsttogether began, The Ireland Fundshavesupportedtheideathatintegrated school, opened. 1981 was alsoone of the worst years of the troublestenmen dead in prison on hunger-strike andintegrated education in Northern another 108 killings outside as a result ofIreland is the key to a sustained and theconflict.Wecanonlyadmirethecourage of those who committed them-shared future between communi-selves to the task of reconciliation and theties. The torch of true reconciliation reconstruction of a shattered and dividedwill be carried by, and passed to, the society through shared schooling at LaganCollege; the courage, too, of parents whoyoungergenerationnowgrowing were prepared to entrust the schooling ofupinNorthernIreland.Here,their children to a few idealists, and thecourage of the 28 students who attended,weinvitetwokeyfiguresinthe pioneers in a brave experiment, in the faceefforts toward peace and reconcili- of public scepticism and peer-group deri-ationDr. Maurice Hayes: former sion. Today there are over 1,200 pupils in asplendid,purpose-builtcampusintheNorthern Ireland Ombudsman andmost over-subscribed post-primary schoolformer head of The Ireland Funds in the North.Dependingentirelyoncharitable Advisory Committee, and Baronesssupport,andnot,forsomeyearstobe May Blood: Patron of The Integratedsupportedfrompublicfunds,Lagan EducationFundtosharetheir Collegesoonattractedtheinterestand support of The American Ireland Fund,thoughts on The Ireland Funds andwhich provided financial (and with it moralthe state of Integrated Education in and practical) support. It is not often thatNorthern Ireland.such a small investment in seed-fundingprovides such a copious return.LaganCollegewasthefirst.Todaythere are 62 integrated schools catering forover22,000pupilsatalllevelsa greatachievement, but a pitifully smallpercentage of the Northern Ireland schoolpopulation, largely for lack of political willand the tenacity with which vested interestscling to their turf. Nevertheless, in supportof those who prefer to light a candle ratherthan curse the dark, The Ireland Fundshave continued their support for integratededucation(withTheAustralianFund making it a priority). In the last 15 years theFunds have contributed almost 2 million,mostly in the form of seed-funding whilenewly founded schools made the case forpublic funding.Thevisionoftheearlypioneers remainstrue,andnecessary.Asociety fixated on the past needs to look to the future, to invest in its young people, and toensure that they grow up together in mutualunderstanding and respect.connect2014 | 31'