Sir, – I read Kitty Holland’s article “Unbaptised children find no room at the inn” (Opinion, December 13th) with interest. The “problem” she faces is not fundamentally one of religion but the failure of Government to provide an adequate number of classroom spaces in densely populated areas such as Dublin 6.
In her case, the schools in question are using their particular ethos to determine enrolment. If religion wasn’t part of enrolment policy, the schools in question would be required to find alternative “filters” resulting in a different set of parents and children on waiting lists. – Yours, etc,
PADDY BANVILLE (Fr),
Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
Sir, – When are we going to separate religion and education (Opinion, December 12th)? Our two unbaptised children may have to travel to a school further away (if they get in) simply because we did not subscribe them to a religion.
Faith has a place in the world, but it should not have a place in deciding where our children are educated. More people need to stand up and have their voices heard, instead of keeping quiet and baptising their children for the wrong reasons; otherwise nothing will change. I hope we won’t be having this debate when my grandchildren are starting school. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE COOKE,
Ovidstown,
Straffan, Co Kildare.
Sir, – Kitty Holland (Opinion, December 12th) goes to great lengths to outline the reasons given for the refusal of her local Church of Ireland school to enrol her son; a little less so in the case of her local Catholic school. She says that “denominational or faith schools’ enrolment criteria impact in a gross and disproportionate way . . .” on unbaptised children. She omits, however, to state why two other schools, one a Gaelscoil and the other a multi-denominational school have similarly declined to accept her son. Sounds to me like discrimination in the writing! – Yours, etc,
Fr PAT O’HAGAN,
Moville, Co Donegal.
A chara, – Kitty Holland writes about the difficulty in finding a school place for her son in Dublin 6 (Opinion, December 12th). She is right to complain. However, in apparently putting responsibility for this on the arrangement whereby the religious schools – Church of Ireland and Catholic – give preference to baptised children, her indignation is misdirected.
It seems from the information she gives that the problem lies with the overall lack of school places. If her son is admitted, another child will be displaced. As she writes, “There is clearly huge demand for school places in Dublin 6.” The responsibility lies with the Minister for Education to provide sufficient places in schools.
Ms Holland is not correct in writing: “Denominational or faith schools’ enrolment criteria impact in a gross and disproportionate way on children such as my son, by excluding them simply because they have not been baptised.” Any of the four schools she mentions would be happy to accept her son if there were sufficient capacity.
She finishes her article: “Mr Quinn is legally obliged to vindicate the right, possessed by every child, to their education.” There lies the source of the problem. There let her direct her ire. – Is mise,
PÁDRAIG McCARTHY,
Blackthorn Court,
Sandyford,
Dublin 16.