Sir, – Peter Gunning ("I was an atheist principal of a Catholic school for 20 years", Education, October 1st) provides vivid evidence of the enforced hypocrisy at the heart of our primary school system. Some 90 per cent of these schools are controlled by the Catholic Church, despite being funded by us all.
In percentage terms, Catholicism has declined in every census since 1961. Catholic marriage ceremonies have almost halved in popularity since the 1980s. Mass attendance has fallen sharply, and religion plays an ever-diminishing role in many of our lives, particularly among younger generations.
Despite this social change, many children, parents, teachers, and principals remain obliged to maintain the pretence of religiosity, either going through pious motions or suffering the consequences of dissent.
Why does the Government remain wedded to the fiction that this is what parents want? Should a republic really be shoving children from the “wrong” religious backgrounds to the back of the classroom for half an hour a day? Would we accept any other group being ostracised in this way in our taxpayer-funded schools?
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Gunning’s proposal that religious instruction should take place outside core school hours is eminently reasonable, and would end religious discrimination while allowing indoctrination classes to continue to take place for those who want them. We owe it to all our children to show them equal respect while at school.
Until this happens, we will remain saddled with a 19th-century education system that is trying, and failing, to meet the needs of a 21st-century society. – Yours, etc,
DAVID GRAHAM,
Education Equality,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Peter Gunning gives us a fascinating glimpse into the reality of the “Catholic ethos” of many of our schools. A self-confessed atheist, he found no difficulty in pretending to be a Catholic in his role as principal over many years in a Catholic school. He quotes recent research from NUI Galway which shows that at least 30 per cent of new entrants either do not believe or practice any religion. Yet most will seek employment in the 90 per cent of primary schools controlled by the Catholic Church. There they will be obliged to teach as facts events which they will almost certainly believe to be myths.
However, Peter Gunning’s comment “ that yearly diocesan inspections ensured the catechetical boxes were ticked as the church joined in on the pretence” raises questions as to the purpose of diocesan inspections. Are the teachers’ own personal beliefs irrelevant – as long as he or she sings from the official hymn sheet? What sort of ethical behaviour is this, by both parties?
In many secondary schools, there must also be questions over the level of support for Catholic principles on contraception, gay rights, divorce and even abortion. Are teachers allowed to express their true beliefs or must they follow Catholic principles, which will concentrate on behaviour but deny children crucial information about contraception or personal sexuality? Or must teachers simply hope that children will pick up the information they need on sexuality and control of reproduction on the street or on the internet? And what effect does this have on the credibility of the school’s Catholic ethos?
Indeed it appears that support for the Catholic ethos of most our schools is now a thing of the past. Most parents of children in primary schools no longer take their children to weekly Mass. Indeed, many thousands of children will not attend Mass between their first communion and confirmation. How can any school in which this happens be deemed to have a Catholic ethos? But the most significant evidence of the failure of the Catholic Church to create a true Catholic ethos in their schools is the near-empty seminaries. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has identified the problem – the monopoly of the Catholic Church in the Irish education system is “anything but healthy”. He recognises that what is needed is not Catholic Church control of all schools, but control of a much reduced number of truly Catholic schools. But he is a lone voice.
Having overseen the collapse in religious practice and the decline of the Catholic ethos in Catholic schools, the augustly named Association of Trustees for Catholic Schools now want to tell State-controlled Education Training Board (ETB) schools how to go about teaching religion. Bizarre. – Yours, etc,
ANTHONY O’LEARY,
Portmarnock,
Co Dublin.