SINN Féin Education spokesperson Karen Mullan MLA welcomed new research from the Catholic Principals Association (CPA) which adds further weight to the need to end academic selection.
The Foyle MLA said: “The research demonstrates what many of us have been saying for years which is that academic selection puts young children under stress, anxiety and depression, and can then label them as ‘failures’ when they succumb to these pressures.
“The damage being caused to our young people’s health by having to face such pressures cannot and should not be tolerated in a caring society’.
“For the church and Catholic grammar schools, causing this type of damage to young children seriously calls into question the Catholic ethos that they profess.
“I agree entirely with the demand from the CPA that grammar schools within the Catholic sector should implement the request from the Catholic Bishops to end academic selection.
“It is important that all schools should focus solely on the well-being of children in their care rather than be concerned about their rankings in school league tables.”
