The Irish National Teachers' Organisation has stepped up its demand for a national forum on the management of primary schools and accused the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin of failing to conduct an open debate on the issue, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor
In a key address yesterday, INTO general secretary, John Carr said the Minister has indicated her intention to launch the first State-run community national school run by the Vocational Education Committee in Dublin next year.
"But to date there has not been an open transparent debate on this proposal," said Mr Carr.
Different groups, he said have been invited to make observations to the department but there has been no interaction between all the partners in education.
"There has been no public discussion of key issues such as school ethos, the teaching of religion, management structures which are matters of public interest . . . Sadly it appears that the department has learned little from what happened this summer. Keeping our heads down now will only mean that we will all have to live with the consequences."
Mr Carr reiterated the INTO call for a forum on the future of school governance in Ireland and welcomed the support given for this idea by the Fine Gáel spokesman on education and science, Brian Hayes.
Following the recent school places controversy in north Dublin, Mr Carr said the Government needed to answer questions about the exclusion of children from Catholic schools on the basis of religion.
Mr Carr, speaking at an INTO education conference in Sligo yesterday, said the suggestion by the the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin that more education providers were needed needs to be considered carefully.
"Does this proposal envisage a policy of retrenchment by the Catholic Church which would see enrolment in a smaller number of schools restricted to those who attend services or make financial contributions? Could the Catholic child of for instance a newly arrived worker from Poland be granted a place ahead of a child living beside the school?" he asked.
While a plurality of providers might appear attractive it will mean increased expenditure, fragmentation of provision and could lead to a two-tiered system, he warned. "It could be the catalyst for an even more segregated system," said Mr Carr