A Portobello Educate Together protest outside Leinster House

Unbelievers.

Have you no schools to go to?

Nicola Murphy writes:

As the chairwoman of the Terenure Educate Together Start-Up Committee, and a parent of two young children, I feel it necessary to address Rev Patrick G Burke’s question (July 20th) as to whether the parents in Dublin 6 really want an Educate Together or are desperate for more school places.

There is no question that the schools in the area are heavily oversubscribed.

However, it is clear to us from our ongoing interaction with parents that the Educate Together model is the first choice of school for a significant number of parents in our area. It is also worth noting that our parents are a diverse group made up of people of all religions and none.

We are all committed to the ethos of equality-based education for our children.

We are also committed to working with the Department of Education on the delivery of such a school, whether this is a new school, or an existing school which transfers patronage under the divestment process.

In an area which has a number of national schools under the patronage of various religions, the response to our campaign has been overwhelming.

With more than 500 expressions of interest in such a short space of time, the parents of Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W are clearly stating that their preference is for a co-educational, child-centred, democratically run and equality-based school, which is a school reflective of the modern Ireland in which we live and the values we embrace….

Irish Times Letters

(RollingNews.ie)