Mr. Pat McKelvey:

Senator Flynn has asked some important questions that we are having to give the answers to. The ETBI considers that her question about who the school serves has a simple answer. Our schools should primarily serve their local community, and every child in that local community should be served. That is the simple answer. In looking at this and other pieces of legislation, that should be the primary motivation. I understand that choices have to be made in cases where there is oversubscription, but they are choices and the nature of those choices decides how equitable the process is. That is a consideration.

The Senator is completely right on her other point, which I take. I share the view of my colleague that most of our boards of management are staffed by people who do a great job in very difficult circumstances and make very difficult choices with great goodwill. I also suspect it is true to say that they represent a fairly narrow spectrum of our society. I would like to make a further point in this regard, which is relevant as we take the next step on the journey. I am reminded of the phrase "if you can't see it, you can't be it". The children who sit in our classrooms, certainly in ETB schools, come from very diverse backgrounds. The person they look at in the room, generally speaking, comes from a very narrow spectrum of society. In other words there is a job of work in respect of the teaching population that we have here. How many children from other backgrounds are represented in that population and how many times do children see such people? There is also a job of work to be done around that too.