With a general election on the horizon I am reminded of how and why I first got involved in advocacy for children’s rights. In 1997 I was living in Dublin’s north inner city at the time of an election and I noticed a marked increase in racist graffiti and sentiment. I contacted a refugee support group to see if I could do anything. They were setting up English language supports for refugee children and asked if I’d volunteer. I did and I loved it. This experience ignited a sense of social justice in me which eventually lead to my involvement in founding BeLonG To LGBT youth organisation.
I have spent the past 18 years working with children and young people who have been marginalised in our schools because of who they are. I have worked with young migrants and refugees, homeless young people, LGBT young people, young Travellers and their families. I have seen first-hand the terrible impact that exclusion in school and inequality can have on their lives and opportunities.
During this time, I have built equality coalitions among the education stakeholders and have worked extensively with the Department of Education and Skills, including to develop the National Anti-Bullying Action Plan.
This journey has led me to set up Equate: Equality in Education. I believe that without meaningful structural reform in the areas of patronage and pluralism in our education system, the vision of equality for all children set out by the founders of the Republic will never be realised.
At Equate we believe that education is a fundamental cornerstone of our society and our schools must operate in the best interest of all our children. We believe that our education system must be fit for purpose in 21st-century Ireland, reflecting the reality of the diversity of our families, our communities and our society.
Research findings
Up until now, no large-scale research has been carried out on Irish people’s views on our education system. In October, Equate conducted research with Behaviour&Attitudes, an omnibus survey with a sample size of 1,000 people from 63 points nationwide. The following are some of the key findings: Some 46 per cent would not chose a Christian school for their child if they had a choice locally.
One in five is aware of someone who has baptised their child just to get them into the local school.
84 per cent think the Irish education system should be reformed so no child is excluded because of religion.
77 per cent do not think a school should have the right to refuse admission to a child who has a different religion from that of the school’s patron.
62 per cent think reform of patronage should be a priority for the Government.
87 per cent think the State has responsibility to ensure that children do not experience religious discrimination in the school curriculum.
82 per cent think Ireland should do all it can to honour its international human rights obligations to ensure equality in our education system.
It’s clear from the survey results that we are a nation that values equality, education and choice. It’s also clear we want change and that it needs to happen soon.
Equate is proposing to help deliver change in four main areas: Rural schools: there is a need to develop a community diversity protocol for the 1,700 rural schools. This diversity protocol would protect the rights of all children enrolled in a school.
Patronage: we support the divestment programme but it needs to happen more quickly, with more areas identified where local communities want different patronage options. New forms of patronage, including new rules for school amalgamations, need to be explored and developed that best serve and reflect the communities the schools are in.
Admissions: we are calling for an amendment of section 7.3 (c) of the Equal Status Act to ensure that school admission policies cannot discriminate against children in any circumstances. This amendment could work in a similar way to the recently amended Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act.
Adapting the classroom: rule 68 from the National School Rules Handbook should be removed so that the rules for national schools are more reflective of 21st century Ireland. Rule 68 states that religious instruction is the most important part of a school day.
We want the Department of Education to move faith formation to the end or start of the school day. This would allow families to opt in to faith formation as opposed to forcing families to opt out.
The department should develop and issue clear guidelines so that children of any faith and none who wish to opt out of a patron’s religious instruction have the right and opportunity to do that in all schools.
Coalition for equality
In the coming years Equate will build a new coalition for equality. We will work with families, children, communities, government and stakeholders to reform the school system and we will co-ordinate a public movement for change. We want to hear from families and children around the country to understand what change they want to see happen.
For the first time, this new Behaviour&Attitudes research shows that there is a real yearning for change in how education is delivered right around this country. It’s time that our schools operate in the best interests of all our children.
We want to see a school system with children at its core and one that meets the needs of each community. No child should be excluded from their local school just because of their identity, family background, faith or non-faith. Our vision is for a school system where diversity is not only welcomed but it is valued, respected and celebrated.
Michael Barron is the executive director of Equate: Equality in Education an independent, non-aligned NGO seeking to reform the education system in Ireland. The organisation is funded by the One Foundation. equateireland.ie