Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 April 2016
681. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding equality in the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5718/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraRegarding school admissions, parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Under the Equal Status Act, schools are not permitted to discriminate in admission on any of the grounds set out in the Act. However the Act contains an exemption which permits schools in which the objective is to provide education that promotes certain religious values to admit a student of a particular religion in preference to others.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015 published in April of last year contained a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. The issue of the need to amend the Equal Status Act was not a feature of the consultation paper published in advance of the Admission to Schools Bill. When the Oireachtas committee considered this matter, it simply noted that "there is a potential tension between Articles 42 (Education) and 44 (Religion) of Bunreacht na hÉireann, and this poses a particular difficulty when legislating in this policy area." No amendment to the Equal Status Act has been included in the published Admission to Schools Bill. I have subsequently made clear my view that this is a matter that does need to be reviewed and addressed, and will need to be a priority for the next Government.
The Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector which was published in April 2012 made a series of recommendations which included a recommendation that the Rules for National Schools, published in 1965, be reviewed and updated, beginning with the deletion of Rule 68. Rule 68 stated that Religious Instruction was the most important part of the curriculum and that a religious spirit should "inform and vivify the whole work of the school."
I accepted this recommendation and rescinded Rule 68 in January of this year. Its removal is designed to ensure that the basis on which schools operate is in keeping with the diverse and welcoming nature of our modern school system.
