The Presbyterian Church strongly urged the direct rule Labour administration at Stormont to introduce integrated education in 1977. The government had just announced plans for the introduction of all-ability comprehensive schools in the North.
In a submission to the education minister, Lord Melchett, in April 1977 on the issue, the Presbyterian board of education claimed integrated education was essential if the system being proposed was to be truly comprehensive. It went on: "To segregate children on a religious basis appears to be as wrong as segregation on the basis of class or colour."
The church recalled that on two occasions the general assembly had passed unanimous resolutions in favour of integrated schooling. "It is felt that integrated education, together with integrated housing, integrated workforce and integrated leisure, will lead to better trust and understanding in our community."
Referring to Lord Melchett's proposal to abolish selection at age 11, the church welcomed the proposal to "end the system by which 75 per cent of our children may be stigmatised as failures at the age of 11". However, it expressed concern at the use of the terms "Catholic" and "non-Catholic" in the Cowan report on education. The board stressed to the minister: "This goes further than simply recognising the regrettable division which exists; it proposes to entrench it more permanently in law. There is a serious danger of deepening the existing division in the community by grouping schools in categories of denomination and so delaying and discouraging present hopes of integrated education."