Tag Archives: schools

The report is designed to provide a roadmap for the transfer of Catholic schools to other patrons. In the first phase, it recommends 43 towns and four Dublin areas where there is likely to be substantial demand for diversity.

This will involve 18 dioceses and scrutiny of 250 schools, of which about 50 may be divested. Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has said he hopes to see 1,500 of the 3,000 Catholic primary schools divested. The report is much more cautious. It backs a three-stage process as follows:

* The department gathers information on the demand for divestment through parental surveys;

* Various school patrons provide the Department of Education with a range of options for divestment after consultations with school communities;

* The department evaluates the options and submits a report to the Minister.

 

Gather information. Provide a range of options. Report to the minister.

Yes. This may take some time.

No ‘Big Bang’ On Changes To Schools Patronage (Sean Flynn, Irish Times)

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Internal Department of Education documents obtained by RTÉ under Freedom of Information legislation show that the Department of Education gave guarantees that Catholic children in the new schools would receive a full separate Catholic religious education, even though it was already clear that Catholic children would be in a minority in the new schools.

New Details Of State Guarantees To Catholic Church Over Primary School Education (RTE)

 

In 2007 the effects of unprecedented levels of immigration plunged the education system here into crisis. Suddenly it was clear that there were not enough Primary school places to cater for all. It was also clear that our traditional, largely Catholic primary school system needed urgent reform.

The then Minister for Education Mary Hanafin announced a brand new kind of school called the Community National School. Its aim; to educate all comers, from all religious backgrounds and none.

But, according to papers obtained by RTE:

State gave Commitments To Catholic Church On Education (RTE)

I write as a very disillusioned parent coming to the end of my term as a member of the board of management (BOM) of the local Catholic primary school. I, like many naive but well-intentioned parents, felt I had good ideas and could contribute to the betterment of the school. My first dose of reality was at the first meeting which the local priest started with a prayer. As I am not religious I did not join in. Afterwards I was taken aside and told I should join in. When I pointed out I was not a practising Catholic, I was told I should have declared this in advance to the bishop.

And it went downhill from there.

A Parent Writes (Irish Times)

Thanks John Long


God bless ’em.

ALMOST A quarter of pupils attending Protestant primary schools are from Roman Catholic backgrounds, a survey has found.

The research showed that pupils attending Protestant schools are from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, with just over a third (38 per cent) from the main Protestant groupings.

Parents of “no religion” made up 7.4 per cent of those surveyed, 20 per cent came from unspecified Christian backgrounds, while 5.6 per cent came from other Protestant groups such as Pentecostalists.

Almost 25% of Pupils Attending Protestant Schools Are Catholic (Irish Times)

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