Church leaders are believed to be concerned at plans announced
yesterday by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to transfer up to 50 per
cent of its primary schools to other patrons.
According to The Irish Independent, sources close to the
Catholic bishops say that the Minister's target of beginning to transfer
schools next January was too ambitious.
It was announced on Monday
that the Minister had selected an advisory panel to run his proposed
Forum on Patronage and Pluralism which is due to report by the end of
October.
The advisory group will be chaired by John Coolahan, professor
emeritus at NUI Maynooth.
The other members include Dr Caroline Hussey,
former UCD registrar, and Fionnuala Kilfeather, former chief executive
of the National Parents Council (primary).
In a statement, The Iona Institute said it welcomed the forum but
called on the Minister “to respect the autonomy of whatever number of
Catholic and other denominational schools remain after this process is
completed.”
"This means guaranteeing the admissions policy of those schools,
their employment policy, and also that they can teach whatever is
compatible with their beliefs."
Mr Quinn wants to see the first of the schools being transferred by
next January.
Church sources, however, say the Minister was going too
far, too fast.
Over 80 per cent of all primary schools are under the
patronage of the Church.
The minister has said he intends to cut this
figure by 50 per cent.
While they welcomed the forum, Church sources said it was the Church
that first raised the issue of an over-supply of Catholic schools and
that they were finalising a lengthy period of consultation on the
issue.
The Catholic Schools Partnership, which was established by the
Irish Episcopal Conference and the Conference of Religious of Ireland,
is to publish a position paper next week.
The results of its consultation process will be analysed by
representatives from all dioceses at four regional assemblies in June
2011.
Sources say the paper will stress the issue of parental choice
and is likely to call for pilot projects in a small number of areas
where there is felt to be an over-supply of church schools.
"It's not an easy matter to decide which school should close -- there
are also legal issues involved," said one source.
However, a
protracted trial period is unlikely to satisfy the minister who wants
action on this issue quickly.
The forum will look at the practicalities of how transferring or
divesting of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in
communities where this is appropriate.
They will advise the Minister on
how best it can be ensured that the system provides a sufficiently
diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions
and none.
Prof Coolahan said the issue of which schools would be moved from Catholic control could be decided by ballots of parents.
Gaelscoileanna, the voluntary organisation, said it hoped the forum
would provide an opportunity to tackle the issues in relation to the
provision of Irish-medium education.