A PHASED transfer of Catholic schools rather than a “big bang” approach is recommended by the group established by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn.
The Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in primary schools stresses the value of a “rolling plan” of incremental change.
It recommends the first phase in divesting schools should involve 258 schools in 18 dioceses across 47 areas. These are areas, identified by the Department of Education at the request of the bishops, where “there is a need for divesting to allow for diversity of schools”. A questionnaire will be used to canvass the views of parents in these areas.
The group also calls for the abolition of the primary school rule which states religious instruction is the most important part of the curriculum.
The group, which consists of Prof John Coolahan, Dr Caroline Hussey and Fionnuala Kilfeather, received more than 200 submissions. It also consulted students.
The group held its final public session yesterday, designed to allow it to brief school managers, teachers’ unions and other representative bodies. It is scheduled to deliver a final report to Mr Quinn before the end of the year.
In her address, secretary general of the Department of Education Brigid McManus said it was vital the reorganisation of school infrastructure proceeded speedily once an area had been identified and there was clear evidence of demand for diversity.
The department, she said, had extensive experience in working with patrons on amalgamations and noted how it can take some time for these to be implemented.
It was important, she said, that arrangements for divesting were not drawn out. It was essential that “mechanisms be put in place which will facilitate a structured, speedy response by patrons to any need arising for divesting, initially in the 47 areas, and in other areas following this”.
Prof Coolahan said: “The forum is not aimed at designing a new primary school system, but adapting it to be more accommodating to the rights of contemporary citizens.”
The forum heard 96 per cent of primary schools were under denominational patronage. About 3,000 of the 3,200 primary schools in the State are managed by the Catholic Church.
Prof Coolahan said modifications were being suggested which should help schools to cater for pupils of all belief systems. Changes to the rules for national schools and curricular guidelines were also being proposed.
Many of the issues involved were interconnected, but with goodwill, quality information, a sense of trust and concern for the common good of a changing Irish society, the process could go a long way to achieving greater school diversity, which all parties had agreed was necessary.
The Irish Vocational Education Association last night welcomed the new phased approach to the divestment of schools. “This ‘toe-in-the-water’ approach will afford the education partners opportunities to assess how the new approach to diversity in patronage beds down in an Irish context,” said general secretary Michael Moriarty.
