Colm O'Connor: School is where our children can learn to respect themselves and each other

As Ireland struggles to comprehend the killing of Ashling Murphy, a principal proposes ways that schools can build respect, understanding, and equality in Irish society

A joyous occasion in itself, as pupils cheer on their school's team in this photo from the 1940s. But the troubling thing about the image is that it could easily be replicated today: Ireland is an outlier in continuing to segregate the sexes right through primary and secondary school cycles. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive

On Saturday morning, we attended the vigil for Ashling Murphy in Cork. The sight of hundreds of people standing in solidarity was very moving and an urgent question hung in the shock and the silence: ‘How can we stop this happening again?’ 

The need for us all to speak up against all forms of gender discrimination is clearer than ever, and I would like to contribute to the discussion from the sector that I know best, the education system.