Speaking on RTÉ Radio One this morning Senator Ivana Bacik said she had approached Catholic primary schools in Dublin and asked them to give up their Catholic ethos and become multi-denominational. Quite rightly the schools refused to take such a unilateral step that would deprive Catholic parents of the right to choose a Catholic school for their children.
According to Senator Bacik, she is concerned that she will not be able to find a place in a non-Catholic school for her child. She is part of a group of 25 parents in Dublin 8, some of whom were also interviewed on the radio, who do not want their children to attend a Catholic school. I applaud these parents for taking such an active interest in their child’s education and I absolutely defend their right not to have to send their children to a school that they find in conflict with their ethos. What I can’t accept though, is the attitude that Catholics should be denied their right to have a school to accommodate parents who do not want their children to have a Catholic education yet don’t seem inclined to do anything concrete to provide a form of education that suits them.
What of the many parents (and teachers) in the local Catholic primary school who want the ethos of the school to remain Catholic? What of the generations of Catholic families who scrimped and saved for decades to build the local school and provide facilities in their local parish? Ought this all to be set aside at the behest of Senator Bacik? Of course not. While I have a great deal of sympathy for parents who can’t find a school that suits their particular ethos, I think they ought to follow the example of other minority communities and make provision for a school of their own ethos.
Take the Islamic community in Ireland for example, when Muslim parents wanted a Islamic-based education for their children they worked hard, raised funds and provided their own schools that are now supported by the State in the same way as any other recognised primary school.
Similarly, the Educate Together movement, which is doing excellent work at providing multi-denominational schools in Ireland, grew organically when parents got together to support a school of their own ethos. There are now dozens of Educate Together schools across the State fully financially supported by the Government in the way that every other primary school is.
Contrary to what Senator Bacik might like to insist, there is plurality in Irish education. Personally, I have no objection whatsoever if, for example, the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI) wish to operate and support a school that seeks to teach with a humanist ethos. Such a school would be eligible for full State funding so long as it complies with the same regulations in place for multi-denominational, Islamic, Jewish, Protestant or Catholic schools.
There are currently too many Catholic schools in Ireland, everyone accepts that and the Church ought to consider transferring the governance of some schools. However, this must be done in full consultation with parents, teachers and local communities and should only happen where it is clear that there is no longer a demand for a Catholic education in the local community. If not, it is the responsibility of non-Catholics not Catholics to provide non-Catholic schools.
