School patronage: One more step

THE right to education should be determined by individual need and not be subject to the demands of one particular religious ethos over another.

That means we need a substantial change in how primary and secondary school education is delivered in Ireland.

For historical reasons, more than 90% of state-funded schools remain under the patronage of the Catholic Church. This overwhelming dominance is not good for the future of a country that is becoming more multi-cultural and more secular every year.

The Equal Status Act of 2000 allows religious schools – including those run by the Church of Ireland - to refuse entry on the grounds of maintaining its ethos – the so-called baptism barrier. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told the Dáil that there are constitutional impediments to changing that but new legal advice suggests he is wrong.

We have come a long way since powerful religious figures could dictate government policy. One more step should not be beyond the so-called ‘new politics’ of the Dáil.