Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the opportunity to debate the subject of education with him. I thank him for his opening statement. As he said, it is an exciting time for education in Ireland. We are facing immense challenges but some very positive developments also, in particular as we are coming out of the recession and seeing an increase in resources available to the education sector. I think I am correct in saying approximately 1 million people are accessing education at all levels across the country. We have seen significant demographic growth and that has brought its own challenges.

What I wish to focus on, in the brief time we have, is equality of access. First, I wish to note some very positive aspects in my sector, which is third level. I note that we have a very good record in terms of third level achievement. A total of 48% of 25 to 34 year olds have a third level qualification, which places us very high indeed in the EU rankings. We have met EU targets for third level achievement and we also have good records in terms of resourcing programmes to ensure greater access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have seen particular success with programmes such as that run in Trinity College, the Trinity access programme, or in DCU with the Ballymun Initiative for Third Level Education, BITE, among others. However, it is clear that a great deal more could be done to ensure greater diversity of access to third level.

I wish to also reference the Cassells report, which Senator Ruane mentioned, because many of us have a concern about a fee-based model, which is one of the options addressed in the report. The danger is that it would have a detrimental impact in terms of ensuring greater equity of access across various sectors of society, and in particular that it would be a disincentive for people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We had a number of seminars on the issue in recent months in Trinity and many of us have a real concern about that.

In terms of research and research funding, we are seeing very positive developments in terms of increased resources, which again I very much welcome. It is noteworthy that Science Foundation Ireland, in its presentation to the all-island civic forum on Brexit in Kilmainham in November was one of the very few entities on the island to express some positivity about the impact of Brexit. I was at a briefing with Science Foundation Ireland last week, which other colleagues attended, and it again expressed guarded optimism about the potential for gaining access to EU research resources and funding as a result of Brexit. That is not to say there is anything positive about Brexit, as most of us are deeply depressed about the prospect of it but it is good to see that there may well be some positive impact in terms of science funding and in terms of prospects for collaboration and the ability to attract top level scientific researchers.That is something to note.

I want to focus on the issue of equality of access at primary level, a subject on which I have worked for many years and which is currently the subject of great debate. I refer to equality of access on the grounds of religion, the so-called baptism barrier, about which the Minister spoke on 16 January and again at the Equate Ireland conference yesterday in Croke Park. I very much welcome his remarks and initiatives in establishing a consultation on this, in which I participated as a parent of children at primary level.

All of us are very familiar with the statistics, namely, that of the 3,200 primary schools across the country, 96% are under religious patronage and 90% of those are Catholic. A mere 81 schools are under the multidenominational patronage of the Educate Together school body. Of the Educate Together schools, it is important to note that 26% are DEIS designated. There is a diversity that is not just about religion. In terms of Educate Together schools, of which I am a very strong proponent and supporter, it is important to note they are not just about equality of access for children of all faiths and none. Rather, the model also ensures that faith formation classes remain outside the school day, the children learn about all religions without being instructed in any one and education more generally is child-centred and parents have a strong role. It is not just about religion.

This is an issue, in particular at primary level, which the Minister has noted. We do not see the same stark figures at secondary level. Some 45% of second very schools are not religious run. The disconnection between the high level of schools under religious patronage and the fact that we are now seeing over one-third of couples choosing to marry in non-religious ceremonies and more parents are voting with their feet and choosing Educate Together schools, many of which are wildly oversubscribed, shows the need for change. As I said, the Minister has acknowledged that. It has been a very slow process.

I am conscious that the former Minister, Ruairí Quinn, my Labour Party colleague, initiated the national forum on pluralism and patronage in the primary sector in 2012. As part of that process, there was a proposal that divestments would take place. I was the chair of a local school start-up group in the Dublin 8 area which led to the divestment of a Catholic school, the Basin Lane Christian Brothers building which reopened in 2014 as Canal Way Educate Together school. The school is thriving, I am delighted to say, and is multidenominational.

Divestment as a broader process has been very slow, despite the fact that where surveys of parental demand were carried out following the national forum and Professor John Coolahan's report, a large majority of parents voted for change to a multidenominational model. Yet, there is a real difficulty with actually achieving divestment, largely due to the fact that school buildings remain in the ownership of religious bodies or lay trusts established by religious orders to manage their affairs. That has led to significant problems for the State in practice, in terms of trying to achieve change and greater pluralism in the patronage of schools. The Minister and his officials are very aware of this issue.

A very positive initiative was taken by another Labour Party colleague, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, the Minister's predecessor, who took the decision to abolish rule 68 in January 2016. It had been a particular issue for many parents, given the fact that it required the curriculum be infused with a religious ethos in Catholic run schools. It was a positive move. However, the initiative the Minister announced in his speech on 16 January marks a new process.

As I said, I have participated in the consultation process and I very much welcome it, as well as the fact that he spoke yesterday at the Equate Ireland conference. At the conference, we saw a real momentum for change. Professor Bielefeldt, a former UN rapporteur on education, spoke about potential breaches of human rights, given the fact that there is a barrier in terms of access to education because of the religious patronage of many schools. We all need to acknowledge that it only becomes an issue where schools are oversubscribed, an issue many have spoken about. It is a particular issue in Dublin. About 20% of schools are oversubscribed and can and do limit access to children of particular religions. That is untenable. It is a breach of the human rights of children and we need to move to position whereby we have change.

I would favour repeal of section 7(3)(c)of the Equal Status Act. The Labour Party brought forward a Private Members' Bill seven months ago to address the issue, which the Government supported on Second Stage while expressing some doubts about it. How does the Minister see the process gathering pace, given the slow momentum we have had in the past and the fact we have been criticised by international bodies over successive years for our failure to address the religious dominance of school access for primary pupils?How do we move to a target the Minister noted we need to move towards, namely 400 multidenominational schools by 2030?

Some are advocating a community school or interdenominational model. The problem with that for many parents is that it still requires children to attend faith formation or religious instruction classes during the school day. For many of us, the principle is that faith formation for children is a matter for parents in accordance with their religion, and should take place outside of the school day. The national school curriculum should be about giving children a broad education on all forms of religion, as well as humanist and atheist beliefs, but not instruction in any particular faith. That is an very important principle for many of us involved in the movement for change.