Constitutional change needed to provide more multidenominational schools, says education chief

A change in the Constitution to give greater State control over education is needed to boost access to multidenominational schools, according to the head of one of the country’s main education management bodies.

Almost 90 per cent of primary schools are under the control of the Catholic Church, while about 5 per cent are multidenominational.

Paddy Lavelle, general secretary of Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), said a pilot “reconfiguration” project to deliver multidenominational schools is progressing “too slowly” and, at best, will deliver a small number of schools.

“The Government set a target of 400 multidenominational schools by 2040. So, we’ll need about 240 within seven years ... there is no way we’ll reach that target based on the current rate of progress,” he said.

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The Department of Education and Catholic bishops are taking part in a pilot initiative to provide greater choice for parents in eight areas where there are no multidenominational primary schools. The pilot areas include Arklow, Athlone, Dundalk and Youghal as well as parts of Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick.

It was envisaged that Catholic schools in these areas would be reconfigured as multidenominational from September 2023 onwards.

However, the timescale appears to be at risk of slipping amid tension and uncertainty over the process in some areas.

Among the obstacles, Mr Lavelle said, was a view among school communities that they were losing something familiar and did not have clarity on what multi-denominational education would look like.

“In some cases, communities don’t want to lose a Catholic school; it’s the known rather than the unknown of the State and multi-denominational education,” he said..

Another obstacle, he said, was the Constitution which states that the State shall provide “for” education, rather than directly providing it.

The idea of the State building schools and handing over control to patron bodies based on polls of parents of preschool-aged children seemed an “odd” way to approach choice, Mr Lavelle said.

“There is no need to look for others to run schools – but the Government looks for patrons because it has to,” he said.

Goodwill ambassadors

Mr Lavelle also said the reliance on volunteers serving on boards of management was not sustainable and some of these “goodwill ambassadors” ended up getting caught in a complex legal issues for which they are not qualified.

“In other European countries, the municipal or regional authority runs these things and is democratically accountable,” he said.

He was speaking in advance of an event on Thursday to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of State-funded Education and Training Boards (ETBs).

ETBs were set up from the amalgamation of vocational education committees and the migration of Fás training services across the country.

The State’s 16 ETBs have responsibility for 250 post-primary schools and 27 primary schools, and is the largest provider of multidenominational education in Ireland.

ETBs also deliver further education and training to 226,000 learners each year and help to deliver apprenticeships and traineeships in partnership with employers.

Mr Lavelle sad the ETB structures have strengthened locally-managed education provision and provided education to people in all corners of the country.

The inaugural ETB excellence awards, which will take place in Croke Park on Thursday, aim to recognise individuals, initiatives and groups in ETBs across the country that have had a significant impact on their communities.