Right to Education

In April 2014 PPR were approached by a campaigning group of parents (Tuistí an Tuaiscirt - 'parents of the north') from north Belfast whose 122 children attend Coláiste Feirste, the only Irish medium post-primary school in the north of Ireland. They argued that the failure to provide public transport to the only Irish medium post-primary school was not only costing parents a significant amount of money, rather it was negatively impacting on the development of Irish medium education by effectively preventing parents from enrolling their children in Coláiste Feirste.

Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the UK government and NI Executive have an obligation to "take resolute action to promote the Irish language". An Irish Language Act was promised which would reverse the under investment and neglect of the language. The Education (Northern Ireland) Order (1998) further commited the Minister and Department of Education to "encourage and facilitate" the development of Irish medium education.

However the Irish Language Act never transpired and in 2011 a judicial review determined that the Department for Education was not doing enough to meet its statutory duties to promote access to Coláiste Feirste through the provision of transport.

In April 2014, north Belfast parents and students were still awaiting transport provision but were determined not to leave their right to education in hands of the Executive, the Minister, the department, the Education and Library Board or the courts.