Reducing the number of Catholic schools may prove tricky, writes Michael Kelly

There has long been a debate about the future provision of Catholic education in Ireland. A combination of falling faith practice and religious diversity in communities across the country has led to a broad consensus in Church and State that there are simply too many Catholic schools in the country.

The 2006 Census showed a substantial increase in religious minorities in Ireland. The Islamic community, for example, grew by 69.9 per cent from 19,147 in 2002 to 32,539 in 2006. At the same time, the number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased by 34.8pc from 138,264 in 2002 to 186,318 in 2006. Next year's census is also expected to show substantial increases in both religious minorities and people stating that they have no religion.

In this changing context educational provision, particularly at primary level, has remained largely unchanged. Currently 92pc of the 3,200 primary schools in the State are Catholic while Educate Together - a multidenominational model - controls 56 schools. Three new primary schools, in the Dublin area, are under the patronage of the Vocational Educational Committee (VEC) in the first phase of a pilot project to establish State-controlled national schools. The remaining 100 or so schools are either Gaelscoileanna or under the patronage of the Protestant churches and Islamic or Jewish communities.

Debate

Debate around educational provision in Ireland has always centred on parental choice. The Constitution places parents at the centre of the process acknowledging in Article 42 that ''the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children'.'

Bunreacht na hÉireann goes further by saying that ''the State shall not oblige parents in violation of their conscience and lawful preference to send their children to schools established by the State, or to any particular type of school designated by the State".

Overwhelming

According to polling, the overwhelming majority of parents want to retain the right to pick the kind of school they want for their children. Only a small minority favours suggestions that all children should go to the same kind of school in the interests of social integration, according to a 2008 poll conducted by Red C.

The survey showed that 73 pc, almost three out of every four adults, believe parents should have the right to choose from a variety of publicly funded schools for their children. Among parents with dependent children, support for parental choice was even higher, at 78 pc.

When asked what one kind of school they would choose for their children from four options provided, the most popular choice was a Catholic school (47pc) followed by a 'State-run school in which all religions are taught' (37pc). Only 11pc favoured schools in which no religion is taught.

However, a major problem remains the fact that the State has simply not provided enough educational choice for parents. In most parts of the country, the Church remains the only provider of education. Dublin's Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has insisted that this is an intolerable situation.

Speaking at a conference on the future of education in 2008, Dr Martin said: ''I have no ambition to be patron of Catholic primary schools beyond the number required to respond to the desire of parents who wish their children to attend such schools.''

He warned that ''the Catholic school will only be able to carry out its specific role if there are viable alternatives for parents who wish to send their children to schools inspired by other philosophies".

''The delay in provision of such alternative models has made true choice difficult for such parents and indeed for many teachers. It also makes it more difficult for Catholic schools to maintain their specific identity and bring their specific contribution to a pluralist society,'' the archbishop said.

His view is shared by the other members of the Catholic hierarchy who have also acknowledged the need for the State to provide more pluralism in education.

However, they have warned that they will not tolerate a State takeover of Catholic schools. Bishop Leo O'Reilly, who recently stepped down from the helm of the Church's education commission, warned that Catholic parents must continue to be allowed to choose a State-funded Catholic education.

Greater diversity in schooling, not a one size fits all model, is the best approach to education policy, he said.

After consultation with the Catholic hierarchy, The Irish Catholic understands that the Department of Education and Skills has now drawn up a list of areas where they would like the Church to give up Catholic schools to be transformed in to State schools.

Stand-off

Something of a stand-off is now being played with Government sources indicating that they are waiting on the Church to announce which schools they will divest from. For its part, the Church has insisted it will await the publication of the department's list before commenting.

How the proposed divestment of the schools will take place may yet prove to be controversial. Will the Government, for example, proceed to close down a Catholic school and re-brand it as non-religious if there is not total support from parents? Could parents who have chosen to send their children to a Catholic school suddenly find their children enrolled in a secular model?

What too of the property? Local parish communities own the land that the schools are built on. Local farmers have frequently donated the land to parishes build the schools. Will that land now be transferred to the State without any monetary compensation for local parishes?

Speaking in 2007 about potential divestment, Bishop O'Reilly seemed to indicate that the Church was not willing to just pack up and leave the schools in question to the State. The Church would expect a ''quid pro quo'' in any new arrangement he said.

This could include the State paying the cost of training for members of boards of management as well as other supports to ensure the Catholic ethos of the remaining schools in maintained.

This will prove tricky for the Government. Finance Minister Brian Lenihan has already vowed to cut €3billion from next year's budget in December. This is on top of the €4billion cut last year and an expected €3billion to be saved 12 months from now in a bid to correct the public finances.

The revised National Development Plan (NDP) which was published this week promises to spend over €4billion on education over the next six years. However, of this total, some €3.1billion has been allocated for upgrading and expansion of primary and secondary schools while a further €650million will be invested in higher education. The estimates make no provision for buying existing schools or expanding support to boards of management.

Backdrop

Against this backdrop demand for primary places will increase by 50,000 to 570,000 by 2016. However, while there is rising demand for primary school places, ''this does not necessarily translate into continuing demand for more primary schools'', according to the spending plan.

For this reason there is a need for change in the number, size and distribution of primary schools, it adds. At present of the 3,200 primary schools; more than half have five or fewer teachers and more than 600 schools have fewer than 50 pupils.

This is expected to prove controversial as Government targets will almost certainly mean smaller schools, mostly Catholic, being merged into larger, probably State-controlled schools. If the battle over rural garda stations and post offices is anything to go by, local communities are likely to fight tooth-and-nail to save their schools.

The Department of Education and Skills is expected to shortly publish the list of the ten urban areas where they think school divestment should take place. This is likely to be an easier process in larger urban areas where there is significant ethnic and religious diversity.

Where there are four or five schools in an area and all of them are Catholic schools, then even allowing for 80pc demand for Catholic provision, it is likely in that area that at least one of the five schools in that parish or part of a diocese will not be needed to meet Catholic needs.

But what of smaller communities where the local Catholic school is the only school? Providing a wide variety of schooling options in such areas is obviously not practical, nor is rebranding the Catholic school in the face of local opposition.