The Chairperson of the Catholic School Partnership (CSP), Fr Michael
Drumm has hit out against suggestions in the media that too much time is
being devoted to religious education in primary school and this is
causing problems in other areas.
While he welcomed ongoing review and changes in the curriculum, Fr
Drumm said it is, “completely absurd to say there is any link whatsoever
between the amount of time devoted to religious education and
sacramental preparation, and any changes in literacy and numeracy levels
amongst the Irish school going population.”
“There is no link whatsoever.”
Fr Drumm suggested that empirical research should be carried out,
measuring the numeracy and literacy of children undergoing sacramental
preparation, and children of the same age doing no such programmes.
“I’m quite sure that you’ll find that there is no link between these
issues,” he said.
Fr Drumm was speaking on YouTube in a video report comme
nting on the recently released position paper on Catholic education,
which was prepared by Catholic School Partnership, an umbrella
organisation that brings together all the stakeholders in Catholic
education at first and second level.
Responding to the idea floated by the Minister for Education, Ruairi
Quinn, that half of Catholic schools might be divested of their
patronage, Fr Drumm said that while the bishops had no interest in
running schools where people didn’t want them to do so, it was a bottom
up process.
“A bishop as a partner could never tell a local community that a
particular school should be divested or given over to another patron. There would have to be parental approval on the ground that is
verifiable. There is no point in anyone coming up with any figure about
the number of schools that might be divested. Nobody knows at all.”
This will be a voluntary operation involving consultation and
agreement between all the stakeholders.
No school will be asked to
transfer patronage against its own will, he said.
Fr Drumm underlined that the transfer of patronage is not like
setting up a new school.
It would be a challenge “where a school is
historically embedded in a community, where generations might have gone
to that school and a lot of money from the parish went into the school.”
In June 2011, four regional assemblies are to take place where the
representatives of all the dioceses with an interest in education will
come together to reflect on various aspects of the research already
carried out by the CSP and set down parameters for a way forward in the
future.
Meanwhile, proposals contained in another document by the bishops
about the religious education of Catholic children not attending
Catholic schools, may have implications for a greater number of parents
and children if Catholic schools are divested of their patronage.
The document, released last month, emphasises the primary role of
parents in passing on the faith to their children.
It proposes
parish-based catechetical and sacramental programmes to support and
guide parents in their role as educators.
Parents will be involved in
these programmes and ideally “accompany the children at the sessions.”
The document foresees small catechism classes for children each week
during school term time.
The courses will “facilitate the complementary
roles of parish and family” and will be based on the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, the General Directory For Catechesis (GDC) and Share
the Good News (National Directory for Catechesis in Ireland). Prayer
will be an integral part of the programme.