Government should follow church lead on education

I WELCOME the Catholic Church’s recent statement on their future role in education. Essentially the church is saying it will remain involved in education only if parents so wish.

The document outlines a multi-denominational, multi-ethnic vision for Ireland.

It is timely the church has decided to relax its reins on education and commit to working in new ways with parents.

Clearly, it realises it can no longer run schools without the goodwill of parents and, more importantly, their input and commitment. Psychologically, this is a positive move and it marks a new departure for Catholic education in Ireland.

As a former primary teacher and lecturer in education, I acknowledge the positive contribution the church has made to education. While many parents want a non-denominational education for their children, it would appear most still favour a Catholic education. However, it remains to be seen how this invitation by the bishops will pan out in practice. My concern is that the statement may have come too late. For example, are we sure a values-based education still matters to parents or have they managed to live without the church?

For sure, parents know that if their children are to have a real chance of succeeding in the future, results matter not alone in our exam-driven system, but also in the knowledge society.

Can this realistically happen where schools are striving to accommodate all denominations and nationalities, with English and without, given the under-funding of primary and secondary education and when our under-investment in teacher in-service education to deal with the complexities of today’s classrooms is inadequate? International studies show we do not compare favourably with countries like Finland in terms of education outcomes. Bishop Willie Walsh has pointed out that parents move their kids out to country schools due to the diverse populations in town schools which put strain on teacher time and pupil achievement.

In these circumstances it is evident that a real partnership with parents is needed to tackle these issues. I commend the bishops for moving the debate onto this level.

Similarly, the Government needs to show leadership and produce a vision for where education is going in Ireland, rather than just trying to survive on the back of false promises from one election to the next. I take my hat off to the Catholic Church for its efforts to engage with parents and to show real leadership in education. The Government should follow its example.

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames

Seanad Éireann

Kildare Street

Dublin 2