Former Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn says it is time to end the Catholic monopoly on Irish primary schools.
Mr Quinn says if the Catholic Church was a commercial company operating in the Irish economy, the Competition Authority would order it to divest itself of at least half of its urban schools. In a typical commercial industry its position as controller of 90% of schools would be “uncompetitive and unfair”, he said.
In April 2011 Mr Quinn, in one of his first acts as Minister, set up the forum on Patronage and Pluralism in Primary Schools, with the intention of addressing the issue, but he admitted today while speaking to Newstalk Lunchtime “there hasn’t” been much progress.
While just over 84% of the population described themselves as Catholic in the 2011 census, Mr Quinn said that for many people they partake in Catholic ceremonies purely to ensure their child gets a place in their local school.
“The church would be the first to accept that many children are being baptised by parents who are not practising Catholics and who have no intention” of living their lives as practising Catholics in line with Baptismal vows, he said.
The inner workings of the Church remain a major stumbling block, with the split in influence between bishops and the religious teaching order – such as the Christian Brothers – as owner of the building and the land.
These blocks must be navigated soon, Mr Quinn warned, saying that it could soon be that a parent will take their case to the European Court of Human Rights.
“I think if there isn’t progress that is tangible and that people can see for themselves, the option of going down a legal route will appeal to some people,” he said.
