A chara, – The "ambitious" announcement of a programme of divestment of patronage of schools from the Catholic Church is a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic ("State to treble rate of school divestment", August 29th). Can nobody see the iceberg?
Replacing one dominant patron with another is hardly visionary. The use of a subsidiarity model where the State devolves the delivery of services (especially health and education) to non-statutory bodies to avoid responsibility has been seen for what it is by the European courts, which judged that responsibility for what happens in schools lies with the State.
Replacing one patron with a plethora of disparate patrons allows for the possibility of a more segregated system rather than a more integrated one. It has the potential to allow parents opt out based on a range of considerations.
Having the State responsible for schools would eliminate the duplication of information to schools by numerous bodies, including patrons, their agents, interest groups and the Department of Education and Skills. This duplication results in a lack of clarity, which is often compounded by the spin applied by unions and professional bodies.
The local education and training boards are well placed to facilitate a smooth transition from the patronage model. – Is mise,
SEÁN Ó DÍOMASAIGH,
Dunsany,
Co Meath.