Sir,- There so much to agree with in Dr Emer Nolan’s article that public discussion on divestment is better served at this point by indicating where we are in agreement than noting where we are not.
Like Dr Nolan, the Catholic education sector is in agreement in seeing a plurality of school choice as a constitutional right, one that is also in line with various human rights instruments the State is a party to. Parents are recognised as the primary educators of their children and have a right to have them educated in accordance with their religious or philosophical beliefs.
The State has the duty of vindicating this right and any deficit in such a plurality of choice is the responsibility of the State to alleviate.
The Catholic patrons have recognised that a greater plurality of choice is required and have co-operated in good faith with a number of State initiatives to assist in facilitating plurality through the divestment of schools to non-Catholic patronage. Both Church and State have recognised that school communities cannot have this decision forced on them, and community support for divestment has, in the past, proven difficult to secure.
RM Block
With Dr Nolan, we recognise the surveys as an important data point that must now be used by school communities as a significant input into local deliberations in the coming months as to whetherthose communities wish to divest.
The State’s financial commitment to the present divestment initiative, as Dr Nolan notes, falls short of what is required. This is in contrast to other EU states that give tangible vindication to the rights of parents, such as the Netherlands, where there are strong constitutional and financial supports for pluralism within their education system, including publicly funded faith-based schools.
What is required is the political will and ability to adequately invest in publicly funded and publicly provided services, in line with both the significant growth in our population over the last 25 years and in recognition of the increased diversity of our society.
This should be grounded in, and respectful of, the State’s constitutional and human rights based obligations. – Yours, etc,
ALAN HYNES-CENDRZAK,
Chief executive officer,
Catholic Education Partnership,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.
