School patronage: One more step
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.