Irish Examiner view: School patronage process is too slow

Ireland's education system is not meeting the wishes of parents as expressed in the national primary school survey

Among the survey's findings, 73% of parents with children in single-sex primary schools favour a move towards co-education. See link below. Picture: iStock 

The conferences of the various teaching unions underway this week are of particular significance to members of that profession, obviously, but they can also offer an X-ray view of the country and how it is changing.

For instance, the national primary school survey, which was launched last November and involved over 200,000 families, has found that 40% of parents with children attending religious-run schools do not wish to retain their school’s religious ethos.