💾 Archived View for eir.mooo.com › nuacht › doi16819141807.gmi captured on 2023-04-19 at 23:00:36. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Staff Reporter, 19 Apr
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has listed shared
education and housing as issues that should be “top of our list of
priorities,” in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Clinton, who is Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, was
awarding honorary degrees to the principals of St Mary’s High School
Limavady and Limavady High School for their shared education
initiative.
The schools, which are next door to each other, are establishing a new
shared education campus that will be used by students from both
schools.
As well as promoting cross-community education, the campus will boast a
range of new and upgraded facilities for pupils.
Mrs Clinton said the work of sharing education and housing was not
finished.
“Because while we have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the
Belfast/Good Friday agreement at Queen’s, and it is an enormous
achievement for which the people of Northern Ireland deserve all of the
credit, we know that the work for peace, prosperity and progress that
so many have committed their lives to continues,” she said.
“The journey is by no means finished.
“And the work of sharing education and of expanding housing and of
working to remove barriers and divisions in neighbourhoods and to
tackle persistent poverty and unemployment are ones that have to be at
the top of our list of priorities.
“No victory and no defeat is ever permanent.
“Every generation has to continue to do its part to both preserve and
expand opportunity.”
During her visit to the schools, Mrs Clinton unveiled two benches to
commemorate their new campus, and met with the head boy and head girl
from both schools, before visiting the woodworking classrooms at
Limavady High School where she talked with pupils and viewed their
projects.
The former first lady waved to the schoolchildren greeting her outside
St Mary’s High School as she entered the neighbouring school to attend
the honorary graduation ceremony.
In her speech at the ceremony, Mrs Clinton paid tribute to Ms Rita
Moore and Mr Darren Mornin, the principles of the two schools in
Limavady, and said the Good Friday Agreement would not have been
reached without the work of teachers.
“I know how difficult it was to secure the Good Friday Agreement, how
much work and sacrifice it took on all sides to bring about peace and
how much effort has continued to go into implementing its tenets and
building a new future, including a new government in Northern Ireland,”
she said.
“There would not, however, be a Good Friday agreement if there had not
been teachers, principals, community leaders, citizens who did so much
of the work of building and maintaining progress.”
Mrs Clinton also said that more should be done to ensure young people
want to stay in Northern Ireland.
“We know at Queen’s that 33% of school leavers in Northern Ireland
leave to seek their futures elsewhere,” she said.
“The goal is to ensure that they can choose to remain here and follow
their dreams.
“Institutions like this shared campus help build a bulwark against
sectarianism and divisiveness, help to create a Northern Ireland where
students, parents, members of the community come together in pursuit of
common purpose.
“Queen’s University’s mission is transformation of knowledge and
learning of individuals and societies, of leaving its mark on history
and the world and that is what today’s honouree graduates have each
achieved.
“They’ve led the schools and this community through a great
transformation.”