Sir, – Michael Moriarty recommends a community national school model for those Catholic primary schools that are planning to cater for other faiths and cultures ("Community national schools are a good alternative to the status quo", Opinion & Analysis, September 6th). However, this approach to teaching religion and faith is not multi-denominational since, as he explains, it favours spending more time studying the majority denomination within the school. This leaves religious instruction in the hands of the State and discriminates against those from minority faiths. A true multi-denominational approach does not highlight a dominant faith; it teaches and informs in a balanced way about all the different faiths. More importantly, religious instruction or "belief-specific teaching", as Mr Moriarty describes it, is kept out of the classroom and left to the child's family and their religious community.
We have come a long way toward finally separating church from state. However, Ireland is still decades behind the rest of Europe and most other countries on this. And this is holding back our children. The current system that we have inherited prevents a child from receiving an education in their local area.
The hospitals used to be run by the religious orders. How would we feel if someone was refused medical treatment because of their religious beliefs? We are currently denying a basic human right to thousands of children in the same way.
My own family had to travel 30 miles, with no public transport, in a rural area, to receive a non-denominational primary school education for our child. So we moved. Thousands of other families don’t have that choice.
The Government is engaged in making a change to our primary school system, and I support that. But a school is either multi-denominational or it is not. Let’s not dress it up any other way. It’s the least we can do for our children. – Yours, etc,
CIARA CRONIN,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Emer Nowlan of Educate Together claims that community national schools (CNS) are "State-run schools where children are segregated according to their religious backgrounds" and that the "model has not proved popular" (September 5th). Her claims that these schools are based on practices of "segregation" and that they are not well received are incorrect.
Ms Nowlan may be right in saying that in the past, when people were deciding on the type of school they wanted for their child, they were largely unaware of the CNS model. Community national schools have not benefited from the extensive level of personnel involved in their promotion as Educate Together schools do. However, with the appointment of an Education and Training Board primary support officer (ETB), the profile of the CNS model of primary school is about to be raised.
Community National Schools, with their open enrolment policies and ethos of inclusion and celebration of diversity, do not match the description given by Ms Nowlan. They have thrived in the communities they serve and have developed exceptional reputations for their commitment to excellence in education and for providing multi-denominational, equality-based and community-focused primary education in their localities.
In these schools, no part of the child’s identity is left at the school gate. Each part of the child is nurtured, including their religious or belief identity. This is done both through the “Goodness Me, Goodness You!” programme and throughout the school day. In Citywest and Saggart Community National School, where I have been principal for the past four years, parents and children have always been extremely appreciative that this part of children’s identity is acknowledged in a meaningful way in the school.
However, belief and religious recognition and celebration are only one part of what a CNS does. These schools are also equality-based and community-focused and reflect the diverse communities they serve. There is a strong commitment in these schools to preparing children for their futures as active citizens in society. The children are armed with the skills and dispositions needed to develop mutual respect and understanding of their peers. – Yours, etc,
SÉAMUS CONBOY,
ETBI Primary
Support Officer,
Naas, Co Kildare.
A chara, – In response to Emer Nowlan, I wish to clarify my view regarding Education and Training Boards and their role in education provision. I contend that the ETBs are best positioned, as locally elected bodies and not as patrons, to administer and manage education provision democratically and in response to the educational needs of the local community on behalf of the State. – Yours, etc,
SEÁN Ó DÍOMASAIGH,
Kiltale, Co Meath.