Dáil debates

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

3:00 pm

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

The pastoral letter from the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, Vision 08, that was published last week represents a valuable and welcome contribution to wider dialogue on the overall governance challenge that faces us in seeking to meet future school needs.

The rapid pace of social and demographic change in Ireland is reflected in a radically altered and more diverse society from which our school communities are drawn. Schools under the patronage of the Catholic church have been to the fore in welcoming and accommodating the new diversity. That commitment to community has been at the core of the Catholic school system for many generations and has been a source of immense strength both to the education system itself and to our wider social fabric. The continuing commitment that is expressed in the pastoral letter to opening Catholic schools to children of all denominations and backgrounds is welcome. It is entirely appropriate also that Catholic schools should seek to reflect their own distinctive vision and philosophy.

As the pastoral letter points out, the Catholic church in Ireland played a significant role in the success of the introduction of free post-primary education in 1967. More recently, the church has had to meet the challenge of securing the future of the ethos of its second level schools at a time when the role of members of the orders in day to day management is greatly diminished as a result of falling numbers of religious.

At primary school level we have seen a growing diversity of patronage choice in recent years in response to evolving parental demand, with a significant growth of inter-denominational and multi-denominational schools. More recently, the Government has agreed to pilot a new model of patronage that directly involves the State, through the vocational education committee sector. This community national school model will welcome children of diverse faith and non-faith backgrounds. Within this changing landscape, the vast majority of primary schools are, and will continue to be, Catholic in ethos. As the largest patron group in the education system, the contribution of the church to debate and dialogue on how the system should evolve to respond to changing societal circumstances is essential.

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