Call to consult parents in handover of schools

MOVES to begin the firsthandover of some Catholic primary schools to other patrons is to begin shortly but Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has been urged to ensure parents and other interested parties are fully consulted.

His department is set to notify Catholic bishops in the coming weeks of 10 urban areas where it believes the number of Catholic schools could be surplus to local parental demands. It is believed most will be in the Archdiocese of Dublin, as it has a higher proportion of cultural diversity and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has been to the fore in acknowledging the need for the Church to divest its patronage of schools in certain areas.

More than 90% of the country’s 3,300 primary schools are under the patronage of Catholic bishops, whose representatives have met the Department of Education a number of times in recent months to discuss future school patronage models.

Addressing the issue at the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) annual conference, the minister said bishops and local communities will get the final say on the need for church-run schools.

“I do appreciate that the process of letting go a school that may have a long history and tradition in a locality may be painful for some. However, in looking forward to the next generation, change will ultimately also bring about a consolidation and strengthening of the remaining Catholic provision matched to the demand for it,” he said.

The 10 areas being looked are being identified with the assistance of population modelling software which the department is already using to predict areas where new schools will be needed. Rather than existing schools closing entirely, it is envisaged that new patrons would take them over.

But the minister’s assertion that there is no need for a major discussion forum on the planned changes was met with concern by opposition parties and the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). Labour Party education spokesperson Ruairi Quinn welcomed Mr O’Keefe’s announcement as the first step in Government acceptance of the case for moving towards a new patronage system that takes account of changing views about religion and education.

Fine Gael education spokesperson Brian Hayes said that a debate on ownership and control of schools is needed.