‘Politicians delaying handover of schools’

Opposition to the handover of Catholic schools to new patrons often comes as much from politicians as from parents, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has claimed.

He was addressing the slow pace at which school properties are being given to multi-denominational patrons in towns with enough parental demand to widen provision for those who do not want their children taught in Catholic schools. Although a number of new Educate Together schools will open in September in some of those towns, none yet has a building made available by one of the existing schools as local discussions are continuing on the divestment process.

Dr Martin told the annual conference of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents 380 religious-owned secondary schools, that pluralism should be welcomed and there is no divine right to a Catholic near-monopoly in Irish education.