Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The patronage divestment programme is important and we must focus on it continually. It is fundamentally wrong that schools that are oversubscribed and that have a particular religious ethos may discriminate against children who do not share the ethos.

I have met parents whose children are unable to attend their local schools because they have not been baptised and will not make their communion. They are from a different religious background and they are being forced to travel two hours to a school which is not oversubscribed. This could be easily resolved by amending section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000, which allows schools to discriminate against children who do not have a particular ethos. If we are serious about equality and about education, we should remove all the obstacles that prevent children from attending their local schools.

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