Iona Director David Quinn appeared on the Today with Sean O’Rourke show this morning to debate school admissions policies with barrister Paddy Monahan.
The debate, hosted by Keelin Shanley, focused on the criteria on which school places are allotted in the event of a shortage. Monahan argued that it was discrimination for Catholic schools to make baptism a criterion for admissions. ‘An over subscribed school needs selection criteria but not whether the kid has had their head wet’ he said.
Quinn pointed out that almost all educational bodies, including Educate Together, want an admissions policy that gives priority to students and families that support the ethos of the school. He quotes a recent statement from principals at Educate Together schools, who said they wanted to “give priority to those studens for whom the school was established, namely those who have chosen the Educate Together ethos.”
To change admissions policies to forbid schools, whether denominational or otherwise, from catering to people interested in and supportive of their ethos would amount to an attack on freedom of association, Quinn argued. He said that the solution was to generate more school places, because so long as there was a shortage some children would always lose out.
Listen back here.
Click here for this media file…
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