Far too slow - School patronage

It should come as no surprise that Jan O’Sullivan, the education minister, had to concede yesterday that plans to divest primary schools from the Catholic Church to other patrons are not progressing as quickly as had been hoped.

A ceremony in Mayo yesterday saw only the second change of patronage under the scheme when Newtownwhite National School outside Ballina was transferred from the Church of Ireland to Educate Together.

This delay is surprising, as senior political figures and the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, have acknowledged that a change is needed if our education system is to reflect the plurality of our society.

Those opposed to the change organised a series of polls on the issue across the country, but because only those with children in education, or those who would eventually have children in education, were asked to vote, the process was rendered invalid. This is not an education issue, it is a social issue so a ringfenced electorate is unacceptable. Those trying to bring about this change should be encouraged.