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.