Groups apply for school patronages
November 3, 2011
THE Department of Education has received applications from eight groups to be patrons of 13 new primary schools due to open in the next two years.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn announced in June that the new schools will open in major population growth areas in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kildare. His department invited interested bodies to apply for the patronages up to early last month, with a newly formed, independent New Schools Establishment Group to recommend a patron in each case to the minister. There were just two applicants for almost half the planned schools, but there are four prospective patrons for three of them. The multi-denominational schools group Educate Together has applied to become patron to all but one. The Vocational Education Committees (VECs) in counties Cork, Dublin and Kildare and in Galway city have applied to open community national schools in 10 areas. An Foras Pátrúnachta, which is already patron to 58 multi-denominational, Catholic, and inter-denominational all-Irish schools, has also expressed willingness to be patron to 10 of the 13 new schools. The applicants do not include any of the denominational patrons who account for more than 95% of almost 3,200 mainstream primary schools, including almost 90% under the patronage of Catholic bishops. The areas for new schools were chosen by the Department of Education based on rapid population growth and, in most cases, already have provision for Christian ethos primary education.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God is offering itself as the patron of choice for two schools in Tallaght and one school in Lucan. The church was founded in Nigeria and has more than 100 parishes in Ireland, describing itself as the fastest growing non-denominational church in Ireland. “The intention is that our schools would be all-inclusive and improve on existing situations in these areas, helping children to reach their potential,” said Dr John Dosu, pastor of one of the church’s parishes in Lucan, where three Educate Together schools operate. Lifeways Ireland Ltd is offering to meet demand for a Steiner school in Galway city. “We have suggested that the department look at the idea of a primary education campus that would optimise the use of public resources and allow parents a choice of schools with different patrons,” said Lifeways Ireland chairman Pearse O’Shiel. All applicants have to demonstrate local demand for their model and show that it would add greater diversity to local education provision.
Irish Examiner – Niall Murray
