Rite and Reason: The Church of Ireland College of Education plays a central role in maintaining a distinctive Protestant ethos, argues Dr Valerie Jones
The Church of Ireland College of Education (CICE) is one of the church's most important institutions. Since its foundation as the Church of Ireland Training College in Kildare Place in 1884, it has played a major role in the life of this religious minority. During its long history it has shown itself to be remarkably resilient in responding to change, including during the 1920s when, following Partition, student numbers were greatly reduced and the new State's Irish language policy had to be implemented.
This ability was again demonstrated in 1969 when it moved to its present spacious campus at Rathmines, where it reinvented itself as CICE in 1974 with the introduction of the three-year B. Ed. degree course.
In the three decades since the move to Rathmines, the college has displayed the same remarkable resilience in adapting itself to the many changes in Irish education while still continuing to provide highly trained teachers for Protestant primary schools in the Republic. It is well known to many in education circles that the college's activities have been under scrutiny and that negotiations concerning its future were taking place.
In the 1990s CICE was requested by the Department of Education and Science to prepare a plan for the development of the college. This was submitted in 1998 and, in response, the Department requested the college to explore the possibility of working together, including the possibility of being on one campus, with the other colleges of education, which are linked to Trinity College.
Students from the three colleges - CICE, Froebel College, Blackrock, and Coláiste Mhuire, Marino - are undergraduates of Trinity and share certain lectures there. They have access to all the university's sporting and social activities and their B. Ed. degrees are conferred by the university at the end of their three-year course.
The board of governors of CICE agreed to the Department's request though they were very concerned that in any amalgamation CICE might be in danger of losing its distinctiveness. At the same time they were aware that considerable changes were taking place in education and that the college had to keep abreast of them.
They were also anxious to keep the college attractive for highly motivated young people, something which is easier in a larger college. As considerable finance is involved and the Department is the paymaster, the governors agreed to explore the possibility of coming together in a confederation with the other two colleges sharing the one campus.
According to the Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev John Neill, the college's manager and chairman of the board of governors, the discussions were entered into "without any commitment other than to look at the options".
After protracted discussions the governors reached the conclusion that an amalgamation was not possible. They were willing to work with the two other colleges in the sharing of some resources but they believed that sharing a campus with two other colleges would be impossible in the long term as the Protestant community might not identify with such a college, which would be only a small part of a much bigger unit.
The governors do not contemplate moving from the Rathmines site. They are, however, open to the possibility of another college moving on to it but the ratio has to be right from their point of view. Otherwise CICE would lose its distinctive ethos. Its link with the Church of Ireland and its important role in providing teachers for primary schools under Protestant management throughout the Republic would be undermined.
CICE is the only college of education run as a Church of Ireland community with its own chapel and chaplain. There is also the teaching of religious education within the non-catechetical format of the Church of Ireland and geared to the curriculum used in primary schools under Protestant management.
At CICE students are prepared for teaching in an environment which emphasises links with church and school and the local community.
In 1998 CICE was responsible for a Survey of Teachers in Protestant Primary Schools on the Teaching of Religion which showed that 95 per cent were in favour of teaching religious education.
The college's staff helped spearhead the drive for a new religious education curriculum, Follow Me, which has been warmly received by teachers.
There have also been significant developments in learning support and special education. These developments clearly demonstrate the college's ability to respond to change in a very positive fashion, given the necessary supports.
The importance of CICE for the Protestant community was summed up by Archbishop Neill. "As long as we have church schools and Church of Ireland parents willing to send their children to church schools we must continue to ensure that those schools will be staffed by teachers trained in our own college."
He added, "Links between the college and Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist primary schools are strong and likely to remain so. The schools play an important role in guaranteeing the future of the Protestant community.
"They also offer a choice to parents and they provide witness to a way of life and a philosophy which are of considerable value in the life of the Republic. The governors are determined to maintain and develop the tradition of the college in training teachers of the very highest calibre for our schools."
Dr Valerie Jones is Church of Ireland Dublin and Glendalough diocesan communications officer.