NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish Pubs Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > Irish Government: Parents will have say about demise of Catholicism in classrooms

Irish Government: Parents will have say about demise of Catholicism in classrooms

Parents to play key role

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Thursday, April 14, 2011, 8:22 AM

Updated Thursday, April 14, 2011, 9:01 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

7 Comments

In Ireland the Catholic Church acts as the patron of 90 percent of over 3,000 primary schools.

Photo by � PictureNet/CORBIS

READMORE: Catholic church to lose stronghold on Irish education system

Irish parents are likely to play a key role in determining the future of Catholic schools in Ireland, as the new Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, prepares to remove the majority of primary schools from church control.

Many have labeled the minister’s plans, to chnage the Catholic church’s control of Irish school by the beginning of 2012, as unrealistic.

In Ireland the Catholic Church acts as the patron of 90 percent of over 3,000 primary schools.
The church is open to reducing its patronage, with the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin supporting the process.

Minister Quinn is currently establishing a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism to examine how the management of schools will be handed over.

Speaking about the proposed changes, Michael Drumm, secretary of the Catholic Schools Partnership, said: "It cannot be forced through without the support of local communities.''

A source close to the Minister expressed their concern over the completion of the process.

"We are not going to wake up on January 2 and see that 1,500 schools have passed from Catholic control,” they told the Irish Independent.

The source added that parents in each locality are likely to have a say in the future patronage of the schools.

READMORE: Catholic church to lose stronghold on Irish education system

Nster.com

E-mail

7 Comments

See all comments

pilib04 | Apr 21, 2011, 09:06 AM EDT

Trealach, are you suggesting that the Blueshirts are in a coalition with communists?

Report abuse

Intercessor | Apr 14, 2011, 01:08 PM EDT

Have statistical studies been done for the purpose of seeing if students from Church Schools fare as well on standardized tests as students from independently run schools (question mark broken). I was a victim of Catholic School Education for 9 years in the States. During that period we were constantly told how superior our Catholic School Education was compared to the Public School System. With fear and trepidation I started my Sophomore year of High School in Public (secular) School. Much to my complete amazement the Public Schools were not only better funded, but the classes were more challenging. Also, as an added blessing, we weren't constantly "Covered with Guilt" over everything imaginable, as we were in Catholic School. It was entirely a different mentality, and believe me, it was welcomed!

Report abuse

Nicomax | Apr 14, 2011, 01:01 PM EDT

In many parts of the US, public schools outshine private schools and in particular, religious ones. Too often the curriculum in religious schools is too narrow, not allowing their students to achieve the breadth of knowledge sought by many of the top universities, some of which such as Boston College, Georgetown and Notre Dame are Catholic.

Report abuse

jcaulfield | Apr 14, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT

Education is the preparation of the young citizen for citizenship. The question is; what is an ideal citizen?

Report abuse

feliciamaisey | Apr 14, 2011, 12:14 PM EDT

Trealach, I take exception to classifying all American schools as having low standards. While I applaud Irish schools and hope to be an instructor in one some day, I think it is unfair to compare the schools systems, church supported or not within Ireland with the mega monster sized school systems in the US. Ireland is like the size of a postage stamp compared to the US' envelope, but enough about that--I think Catholic education trumps state education most every day, despite the church officials and priests' indiscretions which harmed everyone. My four children are/were all straight A students, as am I in a catholic University, and i believe that their is a higher moral ethos attached to this education within a Catholic system that is paramount for life long learning.

Report abuse

Greenlady | Apr 14, 2011, 11:15 AM EDT

Bravo It's time for the separation of religion and state! I'm not of the belief that the Minister is trying to lower the standards of education. I thinkhe is reflecting the feelings held by many these days toward the Catholic Church.

Report abuse

Trealach | Apr 14, 2011, 09:50 AM EDT

That communist Minister is really trying hard to reduce our high education standard to the low standard of the US & UK. He's already got a reply from the people "No WAY!!"

Report abuse