Church leaders express "concern" over plan to cut schools by half

Church leaders are believed to be concerned at plans announced yesterday by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to transfer up to 50 per cent of its primary schools to other patrons. 

According to The Irish Independent, sources close to the Catholic bishops say that the Minister's target of beginning to transfer schools next January was too ambitious.  

It was announced on Monday that the Minister had selected an advisory panel to run his proposed Forum on Patronage and Pluralism which is due to report by the end of October.

The advisory group will be chaired by John Coolahan, professor emeritus at NUI Maynooth.  

The other members include Dr Caroline Hussey, former UCD registrar, and Fionnuala Kilfeather, former chief executive of the National Parents Council (primary).

In a statement, The Iona Institute said it welcomed the forum but called on the Minister “to respect the autonomy of whatever number of Catholic and other denominational schools remain after this process is completed.”

"This means guaranteeing the admissions policy of those schools, their employment policy, and also that they can teach whatever is compatible with their beliefs."

Mr Quinn wants to see the first of the schools being transferred by next January. 

Church sources, however, say the Minister was going too far, too fast. 

Over 80 per cent of all primary schools are under the patronage of the Church.  

The minister has said he intends to cut this figure by 50 per cent.

While they welcomed the forum, Church sources said it was the Church that first raised the issue of an over-supply of Catholic schools and that they were finalising a lengthy period of consultation on the issue.  

The Catholic Schools Partnership, which was established by the Irish Episcopal Conference and the Conference of Religious of Ireland, is to publish a position paper next week.

The results of its consultation process will be analysed by representatives from all dioceses at four regional assemblies in June 2011.  

Sources say the paper will stress the issue of parental choice and is likely to call for pilot projects in a small number of areas where there is felt to be an over-supply of church schools.

"It's not an easy matter to decide which school should close -- there are also legal issues involved," said one source.  

However, a protracted trial period is unlikely to satisfy the minister who wants action on this issue quickly.

The forum will look at the practicalities of how transferring or divesting of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in communities where this is appropriate.  

They will advise the Minister on how best it can be ensured that the system provides a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none.

Prof Coolahan said the issue of which schools would be moved from Catholic control could be decided by ballots of parents.

Gaelscoileanna, the voluntary organisation, said it hoped the forum would provide an opportunity to tackle the issues in relation to the provision of Irish-medium education.

Source