THE Catholic Church has announced an unprecedented break with its 'Catholics-first' rule for primary schools, paving the way for enrolment policies to cater for Ireland's increasingly diverse communities.The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has approved a pilot enrolment scheme that means places will be reserved in Catholic schools for children of other religions.
It follows a major controversy last year, when the 'Catholics-first' rule resulted in the exclusion of non-national, predominantly black children, from schools in fast-growing west Dublin and Balbriggan, north county Dublin.
The initiative means one-third of junior infant places in St Patrick's and St Mochta's national schools in the Porterstown/Clonsilla parish will be offered to non-Catholics.
The quota reflects current junior infant enrolments in the schools, where 30pc of pupils in the starter classes are of faiths other than Catholic, or none.
Dr Martin said that while maintaining the clear Catholic ethos and identity, he was also anxious to ensure that these schools would continue to be good examples of integration in a developing area.
Burgeoning
"In the absence of an adequate number of school places, and of sufficient alternative Patronage models, the parish has been left to cope with a burgeoning young population, with a significant number of immigrant families," he said.
He said it was "developing situation for all of us, and I am pleased that the Catholic schools have shown, and will continue to show, leadership in welcoming new communities".
"That welcome and support is part of the ethos of our Catholic school and communities and of diocesan policy."
Archbishop Martin asked, in particular, that the parents of the parish would be firm in their support for the schools.
There are 189 junior infant places available in the schools next September, and the policy will work like this:
* two-thirds of places will go to the 126 eldest Catholic children on a particular cut-off date
* the 63 remaining places will be offered to children of other faiths, and none, who are four on, or before, the cut-off date
* if more than 63 qualify, the oldest will have precedence; if fewer than 63 qualify, the places will be allocated to children of all faiths, in descending order of age
* siblings will have priority in all cases
Education Minister Mary Hanafin said she welcomed all efforts by school communities to be inclusive as Ireland becomes a more diverse society and said the Archbishop made clear that welcoming and supporting new communities remained part of the ethos of a Catholic school and of Diocesan policy.
Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) general secretary, John Carr, said the proposal was reasonable and an attempt to meet community needs.
Equality Authority chief executive, Niall Crowley, said it was a welcomed initiative, in terms of its commitment to integration and in terms of showing leadership.
Fine Gael Immigration and Integration Spokesman Denis Naughten TD said it was a positive step towards greater understanding in our multicultural country.
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