CATHOLIC SCHOOLS will resist any moves to impose changes in patronage
against their will and without the agreement of parents and the wider
school community.
In a position paper published yesterday, the
Catholic Schools Partnership said the process of transferring some
Catholic schools to other patrons must not be rushed since this would
draw hostility and resentment.
The partnership – a group providing
support for all partners in the Republic’s Catholic schools – called
for a lengthy period of consultation and said changes should only be
considered after a series of pilot studies were assessed.
By
contrast, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn envisages a speedy
timetable, where the process could begin by January.
The Minister
envisages that 50 per cent of the church’s 3,000 primary schools could
be transferred to other patrons.
Fr Michael Drumm, chairman of the
partnership, said a transfer rate of 10 per cent might be more
realistic, given the immense logistical difficulties involved.
Fr
Drumm said the 50 per cent figure had destabilised school communities,
raising fears that change might be imposed from the top down.
He said
the process would be a bottom-up exercise which could only begin in
response to local demand on the ground.
In a detailed paper, the
partnership backs a series of pilot projects to examine public demand
for change.
It also warns of costs involved in school transfer. Catholic
schools, it says, may require some compensation for the investment made
in premises.
Last week, Mr Quinn established the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism which will tease out how changes in patronage might occur.
Fr
Drumm said it was “laughable” to suggest that the amount spent on
religion in primary schools – about 2½ hours per week – can no longer be
justified at a time when there are growing fears about literacy and
numeracy standards.
Fr Drumm said there was not the slightest shred of
evidence to support this charge – made by Mr Quinn last week.
Anne
McDonagh, education secretary at the Archbishop of Dublin’s office,
said she had received many calls from Catholic schools who feared they
might be forced to make changes against their will.
It was important to
stress, she said, that the church is not engaged in social engineering;
the change in patronage would only come about if there was a clear
parental demand for such change.
Close to 90 per cent of the 3,200 primary schools in the State are run by the Catholic Church.
The
patronage debate was triggered more than five years ago by the Irish
National Teachers’ Organisation and moved forward by Archbishop Diarmuid
Martin, who acknowledged that the church was over-represented in
education.
The partnership acknowledges that some Catholic schools may no longer be viable in some areas.
“In
such situations,” it says, “the Catholic patron, in dialogue with the
local community, should plan for greater diversity of school provision
in that area.
“This must be planned locally and based on respect
for the rights of parents and all other stakeholders, including local
parish communities. If sufficient demand for a school under different
patronage can be demonstrated then all of the stakeholders should work
in partnership towards this goal.”