IPPN

New schools to give Communion lessons during classtimes

Published: 13 November 2008

By John Walshe
Thursday November 13 2008

The Catholic Church secured a crucial pledge from Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe yesterday on preparing pupils for Holy Communion in the new Community National Schools.

The minister reassured the bishops this preparation could take place during school hours. The assurance was given at a meeting in Leinster House. It had been requested by the bishops who wanted the situation clarified.

Two community national schools opened under the Co Dublin Vocational Education Committee this year. They are open to pupils of all religions and none.

In multi-denominational schools run by Educate Together, preparation for the sacraments takes place after school hours, but the Catholic church wants provision made within the school day for the new schools.

The bishops confirmed again their desire to see the additional model of patronage in Community National Schools succeed. They emphasised their wish to be able to assure Catholic parents of pupils in Community National Schools that their children would follow the same religious education programme as in a Catholic school.

Reaffirmed

A statement last night from the bishops said that Mr O'Keeffe reaffirmed the policy on religious education in these schools as announced by Minister Hanafin on December 13, 2007.

This announcement stated that the new schools would be "aiming to provide for religious education and faith formation during the school day for each of the main faith groups represented".

"Minister O'Keeffe gave an assurance that the commitment to provide religious instruction and faith formation during the school day on a denominational basis for the pupils whose parents request it stands.

"The minister also added that the Community National School will be an additional model of patronage and is not designed to replace existing models," added the statement.

Afterwards Bishop Leo O'Reilly, chair of the bishops' Education Commission said: "We welcome the minister's reaffirmation of the policy on religious education provision originally announced and we look forward to it being implemented accordingly.

"Once again we welcome this additional model of patronage and wish it well."

Also attending were: Bishop Donal Murray, chair of the bishops' Department of Catholic Education and Formation; Bishop Brendan Kelly, member of the bishops' Commission on Education; Monsignor James Cassin, executive secretary of the bishops' Commission on Education; Monsignor Lorcan O'Brien, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Dublin; and Monsignor Dan O'Connor, member of the bishops' Commission on Education and parish priest of Dun Laoghaire/Glasthule.

- John Walshe

Religious teaching in schools

Published: 13 November 2008

Source : Irish Times (Letters)

Madam, - As a Catholic, Bishop Leo O'Reilly is correct in his claim that the removal of religious teaching from primary schools would be "totally at variance with a Catholic philosophy of education" (The Irish Times, November 12th).

As an aggressive secularist, however, I would claim that the Catholic philosophy of education should be strictly confined to schools entirely funded by the Catholic Church.

State schools, funded by all taxpayers, should be free of any religious indoctrination. - Yours, etc,

ANTHONY SHERIDAN,
Carraig Eoin,
Cobh,
Co Cork.

More education cuts announced

Published: 13 November 2008

Source : Irish Independent

By John Walshe
Thursday November 13 2008

More education cutbacks were announced last night after plans to reduce class sizes in the further education sector were revealed.

The sector currently has 30,000 students taking post- Leaving Cert courses which equip them for the workplace or higher education.

Teachers' Union of Ireland President Don Ryan said the union was furious that the cutbacks had not been revealed prior to its meeting with Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe on Tuesday. "We had our suspicions but this is another vicious attack on education," he said.

There are more than 1,000 further education courses which currently operate on a pupil teacher ratio of 16:1. But this will change to 17:1 next year which will, said Mr Ryan.

Although the department insists it had made it clear that ratios were being changed, Mr Ryan said the union had been unable to get clarification until it met the minister this week.

- John Walshe

INTO Education Conference 2008

Published: 13 November 2008

Source : INTO

The annual INTO Consultative Conference on Education will take place in the Tullamore Court Hotel, on Friday, 14 and Saturday, 15 November 2008. This year, the conference will focus on the themes of Assessment in the Primary School and Transition.

O'Keeffe reassures on religious instruction

Published: 13 November 2008

Source : Irish Times

O'Keeffe reassures on religious instruction

CONOR POPE

Thu, Nov 13, 2008

THE CATHOLIC Commission on Education said it was reassured on the issue of religious instruction in the State's new community national schools following a meeting with Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe at Government Buildings yesterday.

The members of the Commission on Education of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference met Mr O'Keeffe to discuss the provision of religious education in the new model schools.

The first primary schools run by the State, under the auspices of the County Dublin Vocational Education Committee, opened in September, marking an historic departure from the church-based pattern of school patronage. It is planned that hundreds of schools will open under the new community model in the next decade as the primary school population grows by more than 100,000.

The bishops said they wanted to see the model of patronage in community national schools to succeed and emphasised their wish to be able to assure Catholic parents that their children would follow the same religious education programme as in a Catholic school.

Bishop Leo O'Reilly, chairman of the commission, said Mr O'Keeffe had given an assurance that the commitment to provide religious instruction on a denominational basis during the school day for pupils whose parents requested it still stood.

He said the commission had been reassured by the meeting. "We welcome the Minister's reaffirmation of the policy."