Sir, – It is great to read that many principals in State schools do not ask for baptism certificates (January 27th). However, the fact remains that they can if they want to, and some do.
When I moved to the area where I live now, I rang local schools asking for enrolment forms for my son. One of the more popular schools in the area said that it would need to see a baptism certificate before sending a form, and that the school “is for the Catholic children of the parish”. I was flabbergasted, and asked if it was legal to discriminate against children who are not Catholic or religious. The woman told me that I could “put his name down if you insist but I’m telling you now that he won’t get in”, before hanging up. I had a similar experience with a Church of Ireland school.
Even if my experience is not a typical one, the fact remains that these schools are within their legal rights to discriminate against children in this way, and even if only a minority do so, that is a horrible way for our taxes to be spent. – Yours, etc,
DEIRDRE NUTTALL,
Dublin 8.