Parents face loss of Catholic school choice

PARENTS could be left with no choice of a Catholic secondary school in parts of the country within 20 years because they face near-elimination by other education models, a school management leader has warned.

Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) — which represents the boards of almost 400 Catholic and Protestant voluntary secondary schools — said there is a danger of moving from a second-level system once dominated by religious-run schools to one where they are just a small minority or even non-existent in new communities.

Education Minister Ruairí Quinn this week announced a forum would decide on how some of the 90% of primary schools under Catholic patronage could move to new patron bodies.