Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Minister cannot conclude that, just because parents are Catholic, they want their children to be given special treatment in school and to be separated from non-Catholic children. That is not the case. In the main, parents want our education system to be inclusive of all children, theirs and others', but it patently is not that at the moment. For some time, several people have been referring to the need for a national debate and engagement on the future of our schools. It is extraordinary that over 90% of primary schools are under the patronage of the Catholic Church, which does not reflect the Ireland of nowadays. We must work out how we get from the present unsatisfactory system to one that reflects the needs and desires of parents and children. Having a Citizens' Assembly kind of approach would be constructive, as many aspects need to be thought through.

I will discuss the Minister's proposal on education and training boards, ETBs, further, but his proposal in this context is just a sticking plaster and by no means a solution. We have heard and seen some disturbing attitudes expressed by people within the ETBs in terms of what they view as being multidenominational, which is not multidenominational at all.

Regarding patronage, we will need to plan out how to reach the point of being able to develop a modern education system that reflects the needs of the country. I support that idea. What are the Minister's views on it? Is it acceptable to segregate children? Surely that goes against the grain of what we should be trying to achieve in our schools.

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