Parents around the country have been invited to give their opinion on how to make ‘stand-alone’ Catholic 
schools more ‘inclusive’. Critics say this will water down the ethos of denominational schools.
Parents are being asked to give their views on how to make prayers more ‘inclusive’, how to make the display of religious symbols more ‘inclusive’ and how much time should be given over to preparing children for the sacraments.
The consultation process affects Catholic schools in areas where there is no school with an alternative patron.
Education Minister Ruairí Quinn (pictured) launched the public consultation yesterday as part of the Department’s reponse to recommendations made by Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector last year.
Parents will be made aware of the consultation process through their schools, and a leaflet [1], available on the Department’s website, will be promoted through the National Parents Council (Primary).
The Council will distribute the leaflet to parents’ associations of schools throughout the country.
The deadline for submissions is November 22nd.
The report recommended the abolition of Rule 68 for National Schools, which recognises religious instruction as a fundamental part of the school day and permits a religious spirit to “inform and vivify the whole work of the school”.
It also proposed that religion should be taught as a discrete subject apart from the rest of the curriculum, that hymns and prayers in Catholic schools should be ‘inclusive’ of the religious beliefs of all children and that Catholic schools would display the emblems of other religions and celebrate their feasts.
Launching the consultation process, Mr Quinn said: “Schools should be welcoming places for all children from the local community. We all know that Irish society has changed a lot in recent years.
“Our education system needs to adapt, to make sure that, as well as continuing to cater for children with more traditional religious beliefs, there is also respect for children of different traditions and beliefs.
The Minister urged parents and other interested parties to make submissions.
“This is your chance to have your say and share your views with us”, he said. “I strongly encourage parents, teachers and all those with an interest in this area to take this opportunity. Many schools are already doing a good job in catering for children from different cultural, religious and belief traditions. I also want to hear about these good practices.”
Aine Lynch also urged parents to engage in the consultation process, stating that the education system in Ireland must ensure that all children’s and families beliefs are respected and valued.
“Parents and children have a unique contribution to make to this consultation process by outlining their experiences both positive and negative and to make proposals for the education system they would like to experience into the future”, she said.
The deadline for receipt of submissions is 22 November 2013. Further information is available here: