MAYNOOTH - 7 December 2006 - 480 words
Bishops voice concern over education proposals for Northern Ireland
The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland
at their December meeting considered the draft policy papers on
the creation of new structures for educational administration
in Northern Ireland under the Review of Public Administration
(RPA) as well as the recommendations of Professor Sir George Bain's
Review. The Bishops issued the following statement:
"We, the Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland, are concerned
that the draft proposals for new structures of educational administration
in Northern Ireland under the RPA, pose a serious threat to the
right of parents to choose a Catholic Education for their children.
By these proposals the Department of Education will give the proposed
Education and Skills Authority exclusive and wide ranging powers
without any requirement to take account of legitimate Catholic
interests.
The proposals will radically undermine a long-cherished Catholic
education system which has been recognised for the strength of
its distinctiveness and the richness of its tradition and diversity
as contributing to the raising of school standards and the promotion
of a culture of tolerance and understanding.
Over the years the Catholic community in Northern Ireland has
built up, at enormous self-sacrifice, a network of Catholic schools
with their own distinctive religious identity and ethos. As Catholic
Bishops we have the obligation to provide the service of educational
leadership to this community and to ensure the effective management
and planning of Catholic schools. These proposals limit our capacity
to do so.'
The Bishops went on to say: "By contrast, we find in Professor
Sir George Bain's Review an emphasis on the principles of "equality,
accessibility, diversity and parental choice" (9.3) which
are patently missing in the Department's policy papers."
Concluding their statement, the Bishops said: "We are satisfied
that we have made every effort to engage positively with Government
and the Department of Education to develop arrangements in the
best interests of all the educational partners and which would
provide quality education for all the children of Northern Ireland.
On this occasion, however, we feel compelled to say that we cannot
in conscience commend these proposals to parents, teachers and
all involved in Catholic education."
The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland are:
Archbishop Seán Brady (Archbishop
of Armagh)
Bishop Patrick Walsh (Bishop of Down and Connor)
Bishop Joseph Duffy (Bishop of Clogher)
Bishop Seamus Hegarty (Bishop of Derry)
Bishop John McAreavey (Bishop of Dromore)
Bishop Gerard Clifford (Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh)
Bishop Francis Lagan (Auxiliary Bishop of Derry)
Bishop Anthony Farquhar (Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor)
Bishop Donal McKeown (Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor)
* Following upon a wide ranging discussion about developments
in education throughout the whole of Ireland, particular concern
was also expressed by the Irish Bishops at their December General
Meeting in Maynooth at the situation being faced by their Northern
members in the light of the publication of the Review of Public
Administration (RPA) policy papers.
Source: Irish Catholic Media Office
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