Church may cede control of schools to VECs
- Published: 18 September 2008
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
THE passing of control of primary schools by the Catholic Church moved a step closer with proposals from the head of the country's Vocational Education Committees (VECs) to facilitate such a historic handover.
The Catholic bishops have indicated clearly over the past year that they are willing to pass on the patronage of some schools to help reflect the changing population and the Church's waning local resources in some communities. While there is no suggestion they would give up the patronage of their 3,000-plus of the country's 3,300 primary schools, the hierarchy have also stressed that any handover would have to protect the faith ethos of any school involved.
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) has now given a firm commitment that VECs could provide such protection, by mirroring the second level community college model at primary level. Co Dublin VEC has already opened the first pilot community national schools this year, to cater for a multi-denominational pupil base.
Almost 40 of the 250 second-level schools run by VECs are community colleges, which were set up in response to the closure or amalgamation of schools which were mostly run by religious orders. Unlike community schools, which have a religious ethos not allied to any particular faith, their ethos is specific to a partner church or other organisation.
"A community college-type primary school would not be multi-denominational like the new community national schools which are being opened already on a pilot basis. It would be a faith-based or denominational school whose patronage would be divested in the VEC from the local bishop, who would still be represented on the board," said Mr Moriarty.
"This offers a further model of primary school capable of flexibly responding to the needs of the local community and school management where such schools already exist," he said.
He told the IVEA annual congress in Galway that some church authorities have already indicated they may be open to considering such joint arrangements in certain circumstances at primary level.
The country's 33 city and county VECs provide many supports to their 250 second level schools, such as human resources, industrial relations, financial management and school maintenance. Mr Moriarty said these services could equally free up primary school principals and other staff to focus on educational leadership while a new level of expertise and support would also be available to the school boards.
"The community national school and the community college models are equally capable of meeting the patron and management needs of primary schools in an Ireland that has been socially transformed in recent years," said Mr Moriarty.
"This new venture, this new challenge is a historically significant moment for education in Ireland and it signals a new departure in terms of servicing the educational needs of an increasingly complex and diverse Ireland," he said.
