CATHOLIC bishops have opened almost 30 primary schools in the past decade, but appear to be seeking preferential treatment over other patrons when schools are required in growing areas.The demand has been made apparently in return for the bishops’ willingness to hand over control of some of its schools in areas where there is little other choice for parents and where no new schools are likely to be sanctioned in the next six years or so.
The Episcopal Commission for Education, representing Catholic bishops, who are patrons to 91% of the country’s 3,165 primary schools, is reported to have made the appeal in a submission to a group set up by the Department of Education last year to review the criteria for establishing primary schools.
"It is expected that the preparedness of the Catholic Church to consider transferring ownership in certain circumstances is something which will merit favourable consideration in applications for recognition of new Catholic schools. This would be a reciprocation of goodwill," it said.
A spokesperson for the bishops last night said this was not a request for preferential treatment or any quid-pro-quo arrangements, and said they support a transparent process to determine the patronage of new schools.
"Last week, we made clear the importance of parental choice regarding school provision. In planning new schools, there is clearly need for diverse provision respecting the choices of parents," he said.
Department figures reveal that, despite the predominance of schools catering for a mix of faiths among those being newly opened, 27 of the 116 (almost one-in-four) new schools since 1997 are under the patronage of the local Catholic bishop, including 19 of the 66 primary schools to open since 2005.
The largest number of new schools – 42 – have multi-denominational group Educate Together as their patron, while An ForasPátrúnachta, which controls schools with a Catholic, multi-denominational orinter-denominational ethos, is patron to 34 schools opened in that time.
Educate Together said last night that the only consideration in relation to the establishment of schools or the transfer of patronage should be the needs of the local community.
"Open discussion without precondition is the only way to progress the key issues of school patronage, the development of new primary schools and the provision of real choice to Irish parents. Educate Together will strongly and unapologetically represent the views of parents and firmly challenge any efforts to disenfranchise their expressed wishes, as is their right under the Constitution and the Education Act," said chief executive Paul Rowe.
A range of consultations with local schools, parents and wider communities is to be carried out by Catholic Church over the next year in some towns found to have demand for a change of patron in one or more existing schools.
In some towns with more than six primary schools, for example, all had a Catholic ethos.
SIC: IE