THE NEW Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in primary schools is expected to report by October, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn said yesterday.
The forum will examine how the Catholic Church will devolve power to other school patrons. At present, the church controls close to 90 per cent of the 3,200 primary schools in the State.
Mr Quinn said yesterday he expected the main findings from the forum could be rolled out by next January and he wanted to see at least half the schools currently under church patronage move to an alternative guardianship.
“This forum is really to discuss the mechanisms and modality whereby a school under patronage of one body – let’s say the Catholic Church – would come to an orderly decision to transfer that patronage to another patron body in a manner that does not damage the educational experience of the children or indeed the operational or working arrangements of the teachers and parents involved,” he told RTÉ radio.
The debate on school patronage was triggered three years ago when Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin acknowledged the church was over-represented in Irish education.
The Minister also announced the establishment of an advisory group which will seek submissions from the public as part of its work. This will be chaired by Dr John Coolahan, professor emeritus at NUI Maynooth.
The other members are Dr Caroline Hussey, former registrar and deputy president of UCD; and Fionnuala Kilfeather, former chief executive of the National Parents’ Council – Primary. All of the school patrons and the parents’ council have been invited to participate in the forum.
A key issue will be to assess the dangers of a “two-tier” education system. Fears have been raised that the Catholic schools will attract a largely middle-class cohort – with few immigrants, Travellers or special needs pupils.
Among other issues the forum will examine are:
The practicalities of how transfer/divesting of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in communities where it is appropriate and necessary;
How such transfer/divesting can be advanced to ensure that demands for diversity of patronage can be identified and met on a widespread basis nationally;
How the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation – which has campaigned for the forum – welcomed the Minister’s move.
General secretary Sheila Nunan said the Minister’s two predecessors – Batt O’Keeffe and Mary Coughlan – had refused to hold a consultation process on the issue.
Ms Nunan said pupil enrolments had become increasingly diverse but the previous government refused to change the system to reflect that diversity. “It now seems everyone that matters is willing to sit down and shape a new future for primary schooling in Ireland,” Ms Nunan said.
