Sir, We are writing in support of recent correspondents who wish to see the draft legalisation of the "denominational ethos" of Irish education, debated by our politicians and in the media before any planned Education Bill is passed.
The draft legislation in the pending Education Bill will legalise the appointment of teachers on religious grounds. For the first time since the founding of the State, it will be legal to apply religious criteria to the selection of children applying for entry to their local national school. With a stroke of the pen we will legalise discrimination against non religious families and those of minority religions (5.6 per cent of our population according to the 1991 Census) and enshrine in law that sectarianism which has plagued Ireland and which still plays such a large part of the problems in the North. Thus a system which has evolved historically and become customary, will now shamefully become a legality.
Even our own Constitution says The State shall not impose any disabilities or make any discrimination on the ground of religious profession, belief or status" (Article 44.2.3). No wonder Minister Mervyn Taylor plans to exempt education from his proposed Equal Status Bill in order to pave the way for this unconstitutional education legislation.
It would seem that this is the cost of the rather dubious "parity" deal for parents, teachers and churches on boards of management of our national primary schools. If so, it will have been won at the cost of the constitutional rights of parents and children.
It is agreed that the State has a duty to provide free primary education for all its children, religious or non religious. In most EU countries denominational schools exist in parallel with State schools. Our national primary schools, although "owned" by the Churches because they provided most of the original sites, are almost totally funded by the taxpayer. The State pays all teacher salaries and much of the running costs of the school, with the balance being directly contributed, by the parents. Yet our national schools do not admit our local children on a first come, first served basis (unlike the small but's growing multi denominational sector). Is your local national school obliged to take your child or not? By what right does a national school, totally funded by all taxpayers, ask for a baptismal certificate or ask to what denomination, if any, you belong? As a taxpayer who happens to be nonreligious, where is your child to be educated if he/she is refused entry? If the draft legislation is passed, this sectarian system will be legalised.
Church power seems to have a hypnotic quality. Despite all the scandals in recent years which, continue to rock the Catholic Church, it has emerged once again like Houdini with its social rule relatively unscathed. What other institution could face down the Irish public after such a series of scandals, largely involving children, and still expect to be given complete control of the moral education of those same children? Any other profession would have its powers severely curtailed not legalised.
As non-religious parents we find this proposed legislation particularly depressing because the Catholic Church, in particular, will continue to use our national schools as places of mission, managed in accordance with the doctrines of that Church. This is its avowed policy, stated on numerous occasions. National, state funded schools are not the place for such a mission. Instruction in the doctrines of your Church should take place after school hours.
According to various polls over the years, most people in Ireland would like their children educated in a tolerant atmosphere, where respect for different religions and cultures is accepted and affirmed, as in the growing multi denominational sector. In the light of the current situation in Northern Ireland, we should listen to the people, not to the Catholic Hierarchy, which has a vested interest in insisting that all parents want a denominational upbringing for their children. In a strong, confident and democratic Ireland we should not be afraid to advocate a non discriminatory school system, freely available, of education for all our children. Yours, etc., Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.