Debate contribution: Integrated Education: Demand
Debate contribution by Mr Paul Givan on .
- MLA
- Mr Paul Givan
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 3 June 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Integrated Education: Demand
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4493252
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Education in Northern Ireland is based on the key and guiding principle, established in our law, that children are educated, as far as possible, in accordance with the wishes of their parents. Diversity and choice are a strength, not a weakness, of our education system. Every child, every school and every sector is important and valued in our education system. Integrated education, which provides opportunities for children and young people from different community backgrounds to learn together, has an important role to play in that process. The number of pupils accessing integrated education continues to grow. Over 27,000 pupils in Northern Ireland are enrolled in 71 integrated schools. Over 6,000 additional places have been created in the past 10 years. To measure, assess and aim to meet demand for integrated education, my Department will include societal-level questions on demand and the factors that parents consider when making school-admission decisions in the annual Northern Ireland life and times survey; assess and monitor parental demand for integrated education, as expressed through school admission preferences via the Education Authority's (EA) school admissions portal; use the EA's school admissions portal to obtain permission from parents to be surveyed regarding their school admission preferences; and, annually, carry out a Northern Ireland-wide survey of such parents to assess and monitor demand for integrated education. The Department will also carry out ad hoc local surveys of parents to further assess and monitor demand, as required; consider the outcomes of parental ballots for transformation carried out by Electoral Reform Services; and consider any other relevant survey data available. Where demand is identified through that structured and systematic analysis, I will ensure that the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and the EA, as the arm’s-length bodies that are charged with promoting integrated education and providing sufficient places to meet parental preference respectively, work with their partners across the education sector to meet that demand.
317 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.85).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Education structures, integration and community division.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.06 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.03 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.85 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Education structures, integration and community division | 0.99 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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