Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the debate on the diversification of primary school provision. I want to acknowledge the patronage handed down over the years by the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, and the introduction in recent years of An Foras Pátrúnachta for gaelscoileanna and Educate Together. I recognise the composition of the boards of all the schools, particularly those handed down over the years, and the people who worked as volunteers and did a wonderful job. The job was quite easy most of the time until something difficult occurred, such as when the standard of teaching in the school was called into question. Then the responsibility on the shoulders of those volunteers came to the fore. They were people of great generosity of spirit and they ensured that the best education was given at the time.

I largely agree with Deputy Creighton that we should not try to fix what is not broken. We were extremely fortunate to have the calibre of people who worked on those boards over the years. I was a member of the board of management of the VEC community colleges in north Tipperary and a member of the board of management of one primary school in Nenagh.

We must recognise diversity, but in attempting to do so, we must also recognise the importance of faith-based and morality-based education as integral parts of the curriculum. We know that most parents want to continue with children in a faith-based experience, be it Christian, non-Christian, Islamic or whatever. People who practise their faiths value them very much, and I believe that this should be part of the school experience for primary school children.

I also recognise that there are parents who do not want that experience for their children. They should be facilitated, but there should be room for everybody in the one school for that diversity. It is an enormous challenge for the Minister to undertake. In our attempt to address diversity, we should not throw out the faith-based experience that has been very valuable over the years in our schools. After all, we can develop the physical and mental well being of pupils, but we should not dismiss as trivial the spiritual development of children in our schools, regardless of their religious faith.

The presence of religious symbols in our schools should remain, whether they be Islamic, Christian or whatever. There should be a place for the crucifix in our classrooms, or symbols that are important to other faiths, which will truly recognise the diversity of faiths in Ireland.

I have taken account of our community national school model, which has been spearheaded by the VECs. Let us pay tribute to the VECs across our country. When success was obvious under gaelscoileanna, the VECs stepped in to provide gaelcholáistí across the country. There is a very clear role for the VEC into the future. I have observed the pilot projects currently under way at County Dublin VEC and these will be followed next September in Kildare and Meath. The VECs have endeavoured over the years to include an ethos of recognition and respect for all beliefs, both religious and non-religious. That is a model we should watch closely. There will be flaws along the way, but the VECs have a proven track record of inclusiveness and this can be developed.

Patrons have an enormous responsibility, whether it is school ethos, the management of assets and the appointment of staff. It is important that people from all the representative stakeholders are part of boards of management and that the diversity is reflected in the composition of those boards.

There should be more debate on this issue. It is extremely important and will prepare us for the future development of our education system.

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