Church has 'no desire' to be sole education provider

The Catholic Church says it has no desire to be the sole provider of education in individual communities in Ireland.

In a policy document, published today, the church acknowledged the need for greater diversity in the primary school system but insisted children of Catholic parents had "first claim" on admission to Catholic schools.

The church, which manages over 3,000 of the 3,280 primary schools in the State, said the enrolment policy of the school was an important means of implementing its Catholic ethos.

But it said the policy should also incorporate the Catholic school's commitment to diversity and inclusivity while at the same time protecting the integrity of the school.

"Wherever possible, in keeping with their ethos, and provided that they have places and resources, Catholic schools welcome children of other faiths or none," the church said.

The Catholic Primary Schools - A Policy for Provision into the Future- produced by the Bishops' Commission for Education - was published today by the Columba Centre in Maynooth, Co Kildare.

It comes amid growing debate in Ireland about how the State's increasing non-Catholic immigrant community can be catered for in an education system dominated by Catholic Church-run schools.

The Bishops said the huge inflow of new residents in some communities was putting an unfair financial and administrative burden on local Catholic schools.

"In new centres of population it is incumbent upon the State to plan for the provision of school sites and to ensure . . . that there is a plurality of school provision reflecting the wishes of the parents in the area," they said.

Their document also stated that in some areas where historically there were large numbers of parents who wanted a Catholic school, circumstances may have changed and that an existing Catholic school may no longer be viable.

"In such a situation an evaluation will have to be made, in consultation with parents and teachers, about the future of such a school," they said.

Chairman of the Bishops' Commission for Education Bishop Leo O'Reilly insisted that it was internationally recognised that faith schools make a very valuable contribution to the common good.

"They coexist fruitfully alongside other models of provision elsewhere and have done so here in Ireland for more than a century," he added.