The decision by the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, to convene a meeting about the "enrolment crisis" in Limerick is welcome. The evidence, presented at the recent INTO conference, suggests that students from disadvantaged areas are being excluded from some of the city's schools.
According to a report in this newspaper, some 49 primary students have still to find a place in any second-level school for the coming academic year.
Some teachers and local politicians believe that certain schools are operating what could only be described as a form of "educational apartheid" in Limerick. The allegation is that some schools are cherry-picking the best and the brightest pupils. There are suggestions that students from socially deprived areas are being deliberately excluded. Some of the schools in question say they are heavily oversubscribed. All claim they operate open and transparent enrolment policies.
The situation in Limerick is by no means unique. In most counties, and especially in Dublin, some schools operate an enrolment policy which could politely be described as socially regressive. Students with strong academic and sporting abilities are welcome. Others from socially disadvantaged groups are excluded. It is not a coincidence that some of the most prestigious fee-paying schools in this State do not have extended special needs provision for pupils.
In excluding certain pupils, some schools believe they are working to safeguard the hard-won reputation of their schools. There is the strong sense that some schools do not wish to risk this reputation by operating an inclusive and progressive enrolment policy. This kind of approach may serve the best interests of the school but it hardly serves the wider interest of our society.
Exclusion of any pupil on the basis of their academic ability or social background is, of course, unlawful under the Education Act. In truth, a form of lip-service has been paid to this provision. Several schools, not just in Limerick, operate enrolment policies which run counter to the spirit of the Act.
The Limerick meeting, convened by Mr Dempsey, is an important signal that the Department will no longer tolerate enrolment policies which discriminate on social and academic grounds.
It is to be hoped that the meeting will be a prelude to decisive action by the Department. The secretary general of the Department has the right to compel schools to admit pupils if they have a legitimate case. The Department should not be slow to exercise this right, if it sees fit.