THE DEPARTMENT of Education is adopting a cautious approach to the demand by the multi-denominational body Educate Together for recognition as a second-level patron, despite the organisation’s success at primary level.
With the backing of senior educationalists and the National Parent’s Council, Educate Together yesterday launched a new blueprint for second-level education.
But the department appears concerned that a move by Educate Together into second level could damage enrolment at schools run by Vocational Education Committees (VECs).
In what it calls a radical departure from the “traditionally hierarchical structures of the Irish second-level system’’, Educate Together says that its schools “will operate as truly democratic learning communities, empowering students, teachers and parents to work together towards educational aims in an atmosphere of equality and respect”.
There are now 10,000 pupils attending 56 Educate Together primary schools.
It hopes to open a further 45 primary schools within the next three years.
The group applied for recognition as a second-level patron in March 2008. It has still to receive a response from the Department of Education.
Educate Together has submitted plans for new second-level schools in Waterford; Gorey, Co Wexford and Lucan, Co Dublin.
Yesterday, the department said that Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe and his officials were considering a number of broad policy issues relating to the recognition process for second-level schools.
“The application from Educate Together to be recognised as a patron body at second level is being fully examined.
“Recognising any new patron body at second level gives rise to significant issues in the context of the legal, financial and other factors the Minister must consider,” a spokesman for the department said.
According to Educate Together, some 90 per cent of parents in the organisation’s schools wanted to enrol their children in similar schools at second level, but this option was unavailable.
In Lucan, Co Dublin recently, a new post-primary school was designated as a community college controlled by the Vocational Education Committee (VEC), despite the large numbers of pupils attending Educate Together schools in the area.
Paul Rowe, chief executive of Educate Together, said yesterday: “It is time to re-examine the value of the Junior Certificate in the light of the pressure it places on students and teachers to ‘cover’ large amounts of content – restricting the time available for deeper engagement and more practical, relevant learning experiences.”
Educate Together’s demand to provide second-level education services come as business leaders, academics and others raise concerns with increasing frequency about the relevance of the current second-level education system.
Last week, Tom Boland, head of the Higher Education Authority added his voice to many before him in saying that “our second-level system is producing students who learn to the test; who in ever greater numbers are not learning to think for themselves; who receive spoonfeeding at second level and expect the same at third”.
Educate Together says that its second-level schools would nurture critical thinkers, problem solvers, effective communicators, creators and innovators.
