Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2015
132. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made in providing a greater choice of school patronage to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33954/15]
View answerThis is to ask the Minister the progress being made in providing parents with a greater choice of school patronage. As the Minister will recall, her predecessor, Deputy Quinn, indicated in 2012 that he hoped to see 50% of primary schools change their patronage, starting in that particular year. I am seeking an update in that regard.
The programme for Government gives a commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of patronage for schools. In this context, a forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector was established to look at how schools could cater for diversity and ensure an inclusive environment for all their pupils. Work is continuing on implementing the action plan arising from this forum, including advancing the patronage divesting process.
Under this process, which creates greater choice for parents in areas where there is not a demographic need for new school provision, eight new primary schools have opened and work is continuing to advance choices in the other identified areas. However, more needs to be done. I intend to reinvigorate the process to speed up divestment and to that end I intend to meet the Catholic bishops and the other patrons in the coming period.
In addition to divesting, in those areas where there is a demographic need for new schools, the arrangements introduced in 2011 place a strong emphasis on parental choice. Under this process, 20 new primary schools and 17 new post-primary schools have opened. Some 35 of these 37 schools have a multi-denominational ethos.
No doubt we need to encourage greater pluralism in patronage within the primary school system.
If one were starting today, one would not structure it this way, with 95% of schools under church patronage. In trying to achieve progress, it is important we do it in a way that moves things forward and is constructive. Unfortunately, the Government's approach, particularly that of the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, at the outset had the opposite effect. The former Minister outlined that he wanted 1,500 primary schools to change patronage. How many schools have changed patronage under the Government's oversight and stewardship? The Minister said she planned to meet church leaders over the coming weeks and months to try to progress the project and bring new life to it. How does the Minister see it happening and what needs to happen to achieve it?
Contrary to an article in The Irish Times today by Fintan O'Toole, which stated only one school had been divested, eight schools have been divested, namely, Tramore Educate Together national school, ETNS, County Waterford, Trim ETNS, County Meath, Malahide-Portmarnock ETNS, Kinsealy, County Dublin, Newtownwhite ETNS, Ballina, County Mayo, Canalway ETNS, Basin Lane, Dublin 8, Tuam ETNS, County Galway, New Ross ETNS, and Gaelscoil na Laochra, Birr, County Offaly. A significant number of the schools come under the new demographics. It is disappointing, and this is why I want to meet the bishops soon and find out whether there is anything we can do to assist the process and to identify the obstacles and difficulties. Much of the delay is probably due to the attachment people have to their local schools, given that it must be done on a voluntary basis. If there is any way we can assist, I would like to speed up the process.
"Disappointing" is a fair verdict on the progress. However, it is similar to the Government's approach to junior certificate reform and other key reform measures which the Government wanted to achieve. Unfortunately, the way the Government has gone about its business and tried to achieve reform in the education system has been counter-productive. It has been more about headlines and trying to gain a reputation in the media for being pioneering and reforming than about delivering it on the ground to students. The junior certificate reform failed to meet expectations due to the Government's approach. We must breathe new life into it. It is important that there be more plurality in the ethos of primary schools, and I urge the Minister to take up the baton again, with the church leaders, who have indicated that they are open to it, and move forward in a manner that tries to achieve real progress.
The Government is proud of being a reforming Government in education. My predecessor, Deputy Quinn, achieved a high level of reform during his time as Minister. He, like me, has been disappointed with the progress in this area. There has been more reform in education during the past four or five years than in the preceding decades. It is difficult to reform a system that has been developed in a certain way, and even the Deputy acknowledged that we would not start from here. It would be ideal if we could found the system from the beginning, given that it is so denominationally governed in terms of school patronage and this does not reflect the population as it is now. I want to move on it. It will be productive to meet the bishops in particular and the other patrons, and we will try to get some more energy and speed into the process.
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.
In addition to the equality legislation referred to by the Deputy, there is also a constitutional right to the protection of ethos. We have to operate within that constitutional provision.
The Government could change the Constitution.
That might be for another day.
Another referendum.
It could be considered in the lifetime of a future Government, but we are not proposing any constitutional change during the lifetime of this Government. I do not think there would be time now anyway. It is certainly an issue that will have to be addressed in the future. I hope to have the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015 on the floor of the House, but as the Deputy has rightly said it is the equality legislation rather than the educational legislation that is the current constraint.
We are doing it for teachers but not for students.
As Deputy Terence Flanagan is not here, we will move on to Question No. 134.
