The Catholic Church in Ireland has welcomed a new survey indicating ‘strong support’ for publicly funded Catholic and faith-based education in the country. Just 16 per cent of relevant households expressed a desire for change at primary level, covering ages five to 13, according to the Government survey released earlier this month. The study is the latest in a series of government-led consultations with parents and communities over the past five years on the question of divesting, or removing Catholic patronage from, publicly funded schools. Almost 90 per cent of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic. Each consultation has returned the same result: parents giving a vote of confidence to Catholic education, despite the efforts of political and media agitators to drum up support for divestment.
The survey was targeted at households with children of primary-school age and younger, ranging from nought to 13 years old. While the headlines in a number of Irish papers led with the fact that 40 per cent of those who responded to the opt-in survey wanted multi-denominational schooling, it was a clear case of ideology outweighing straightforward reporting of the facts. These are, first, that the majority of parents surveyed wanted to keep their Catholic school and, second, that only about 40 per cent of eligible households participated in the survey.
This means that the proportion of parents desiring change ‘represents approximately 16 per cent of all eligible households, with the majority signalling support for the current model of provision’, said Alan Hynes, head of the Irish bishops’ Catholic Education Partnership, the umbrella body for Catholic education on the island of Ireland. While affirming the right of these parents to access the school of their preference, Mr Hynes stated the obvious: ‘The findings indicate a continued high level of confidence in Catholic schools.’
Immediately, the anti-Catholic reflex of Ireland’s political and media classes kicked into action. The Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, claimed that the government had, essentially, done its best and that it was now up to the Church to push forward with divestment. Minister Naughton added that the religious patrons – meaning the bishops and religious orders – have the ‘ultimate say’ on whether a primary school changes ethos, as if the Church is blocking change in the area. This is a blatant falsehood, as outlined by Mr Hynes’s response: ‘Catholic patrons have consistently engaged constructively with state-led processes to support increased plurality in school provision, recognising that where there is clear local demand, change may be appropriate. The responsibility for ensuring such diversity, however, rests primarily with the state.’
The reality is, as any reasonable actor can see, that the Church is as keen on divestment as the government and has even established a commission to look into how a diversification of school patronage can be achieved. This is both for the sake of reflecting the increasingly pluralistic nature of the state and of safeguarding the integrity of Catholic education in this country. In fact, as regards increasing pluralism, previous consultations have shown that immigrant parents are strongly in favour of faith-based schooling. Sources involved with a consultation in a Dublin city school with a significant immigrant presence told me that a motivation for those coming to Ireland was precisely the freedom of worship available here. The parents questioned why the state was so keen on kicking the Church out of schools.
But this support puts the Church in a bit of a bind. As I outlined previously in this publication, the number of Catholic teachers and principals who actively believe in the Faith are dwindling in Ireland. We are increasingly looking at a situation in which, if we do not divest now, we will be forced to do so in the future. Already, the reality is that Catholic education is increasingly light on Catholic moral and spiritual content, as a mix of poor formation, disinterest from patrons and state pressure has undermined the Catholicity of our schools.
But if the Church were to divest, it would be against the will of a majority of parents. The Church then has two options: divest and be damned, or strengthen the Catholicity of the education offered. Given the apparent support of parents, the obvious option is for the Church to capitalise on it. Catholic patrons should take an active interest in the quality and integrity of the education offered in their schools, encouraging it where it is present, supporting it where it could be stronger and censuring breaches where they meet resistance. At present, parents and educators like Church patronage because Church authorities give so much latitude.
If the Church chooses to get tougher on breaches of Catholic doctrine and discipline, and to improve the quality of the material teachers are asked to deliver, it will be a litmus test of parental support. Do parents and educators just want Catholic lite? Will the average modern parent really accept Church teaching on abortion, contraception and marriage being taught to their children, for instance? Will they accept a pedagogy that sees education not merely as an instrument for getting a good job, but as the nourishment of body and soul, capable of reflecting in wonder on God and His creation? I highly doubt it. The evidence from the votes on key social and moral issues – abortion, marriage, divorce – suggest they will run a mile from Church teaching that puts their life choices into question.
If the bishops and religious say the task of improving and regulating Catholic education requires too much investment, then the case for divestment is really unanswerable. In that case, the latest result is less a cause for rejoicing than a headache in need of treatment.
