She berates MLAs for trying to stop Ms Ruane 'fulfilling her duties'.

These MLAs not only have a right, they have a duty to prevent a minister undemocratically railroading her party's policy into being. Sinn Fein are right to be very concerned about the unacceptable educational attainment of too many of our children.

Forcing children of all abilities into the same classroom, however, will disadvantage everyone, according to teachers I have spoken to. Streaming/selection is a must if all are to thrive.

Ms Ruane and Sinn Fein are 'about making every school a good school'. This is an admission that currently all schools are not good. How then does she expect parents of academically gifted children to accept a place in the nearest school, which may be an institution which has a long way to go before achieving excellence?

When a parent in Derry accused the Minister of removing parental choice, Ms Ruane stated that there would be choice.

This seemed to be a reference to integrated or Irish-speaking schools.

Choice would, therefore, appear limited to the Minister's own preference. This is monstrously unfair as it subjects most to a postcode lottery. Cllr O'Hara has a cheek implying that to disagree with Ms Ruane is not to put children first. The opposite is true.

As your correspondent Ian Noad wrote on the same day, dictatorial bullying by a self-serving minority must and will be resisted.

Seamus Brady

Londonderry