SCHOOL BOARDS of management could feel set upon if a change of patronage is imposed without full consultation, a leading Catholic Church representative has warned.
Addressing the National Forum on School Patronage and Pluralism in primary schools, Fr Michael Drumm of the Catholic Schools Partnership said there was a great danger local communities would not “buy into” the process if it was forced upon them.
During the hearing, Catholic Church representatives stressed their willingness to work towards a “reimagining” of school patronage . At present , the church controls close to 3,000 of the 3,200 primary schools in the State. They also pointed to the danger of a two-tier primary education system if there was parental choice with no limitation.
Chairman of the forum Prof John Coolahan questioned the bishops closely, asking them repeatedly if they were willing to take a proactive role in the transfer of patronage to other providers.
The process was dependent, he said, on goodwill from the church on issues like finance and the transfer of school properties from the church to other bodies.
Otherwise, he said, the whole issue would become stymied.
Earlier, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn – who attended the opening session of the forum – said he was delighted with the constructive approach taken by the Catholic Church in their submissions to the forum. There would, he predicted, be no losers in the process.
In their submission, the bishops have criticised as “very unhelpful” a suggestion by Mr Quinn that 50 per cent of primary schools under their control could be transferred to other patrons.
But Mr Quinn stood over his comments and said he was basing that figure on research among parents carried out by the church.
Last month, Fr Drumm said a transfer figure of 10 per cent was more realistic.
The church was well represented at the hearing with nine representatives from three different groups: the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association and the Association of Trustees of Catholic Schools.
The Council for Education of the Irish Bishops’ Conference was represented by Bishop Brendan Kelly, Bishop Leo O’Reilly and Fr Michael Drumm.
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, who opened the debate on school patronage three years ago, was not present at the hearings. Dr Martin has noted that 90 per cent of the capital’s primary schools were under his patronage, while the percentage of the population who actively wanted a Catholic education could be as low as 50 per cent.
Another surprising aspect of the hearing was the sparse attendance from the general public who were invited to attend the three-day hearings at the Clock Tower in the Department of Education.
The National Parents Council (primary) told the forum how a survey it had conducted found an equal divide between parents on whether preparation for the sacraments should take place during the school day.
Mr Quinn said the job of the forum was to find a mechanism whereby a change in ethos could be achieved transparently.
