SCHOOL BOARDS of management could feel set upon if a change of
patronage is imposed without full consultation, a leading Catholic
Church representative has warned.
Addressing the National Forum on
School Patronage and Pluralism in primary schools, Fr Michael Drumm of
the Catholic Schools Partnership said there was a great danger local
communities would not “buy into” the process if it was forced upon them.
During
the hearing, Catholic Church representatives stressed their willingness
to work towards a “reimagining” of school patronage .
At present , the
church controls close to 3,000 of the 3,200 primary schools in the
State.
They also pointed to the danger of a two-tier primary education
system if there was parental choice with no limitation.
Chairman
of the forum Prof John Coolahan questioned the bishops closely, asking
them repeatedly if they were willing to take a proactive role in the
transfer of patronage to other providers.
The process was
dependent, he said, on goodwill from the church on issues like finance
and the transfer of school properties from the church to other bodies.
Otherwise, he said, the whole issue would become stymied.
Earlier,
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn – who attended the opening session
of the forum – said he was delighted with the constructive approach
taken by the Catholic Church in their submissions to the forum. There
would, he predicted, be no losers in the process.
In their
submission, the bishops have criticised as “very unhelpful” a suggestion
by Mr Quinn that 50 per cent of primary schools under their control
could be transferred to other patrons.
But Mr Quinn stood over his comments and said he was basing that figure on research among parents carried out by the church.
Last month, Fr Drumm said a transfer figure of 10 per cent was more realistic.
The
church was well represented at the hearing with nine representatives
from three different groups: the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the
Catholic Primary Schools Management Association and the Association of
Trustees of Catholic Schools.
The Council for Education of the
Irish Bishops’ Conference was represented by Bishop Brendan Kelly,
Bishop Leo O’Reilly and Fr Michael Drumm.
Archbishop of Dublin
Diarmuid Martin, who opened the debate on school patronage three years
ago, was not present at the hearings.
Dr Martin has noted that 90 per
cent of the capital’s primary schools were under his patronage, while
the percentage of the population who actively wanted a Catholic
education could be as low as 50 per cent.
Another surprising
aspect of the hearing was the sparse attendance from the general public
who were invited to attend the three-day hearings at the Clock Tower in
the Department of Education.
The National Parents Council
(primary) told the forum how a survey it had conducted found an equal
divide between parents on whether preparation for the sacraments should
take place during the school day.
Mr Quinn said the job of the forum was to find a mechanism whereby a change in ethos could be achieved transparently.