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LAST UPDATE | 29 Apr
AS BOTH A public representative and a parent, I have long believed that education should reflect the diversity of the society it serves. Yet in Ireland today, too many parents are forced into impossible choices simply to access a school that aligns with their values.
I speak not only from policy experience but personal reality: all four of my children have had to attend schools outside our own community in Dublin 8, because, at the time, none of the local secondary schools offered a secular or multi-denominational ethos.
Dublin 8 is a vibrant and proudly diverse area, yet its educational landscape still mirrors a model from a different era. Despite meaningful social change across Ireland over recent decades, approximately 88% of our primary schools remain under the patronage of the Catholic Church. Only around 6% are officially classified as multi-denominational. In a republic that has embraced equality in so many spheres, this glaring imbalance in school patronage persists.
Recent data confirms that the demand for change is not just anecdotal – it is widespread and growing. A survey from Education and Training Boards Ireland found that 61% of adults would prefer a multi-denominational education for their children, compared to just 9% who support religious-run schools. The trend is especially visible at the post-primary level, where, for the first time, the number of students attending multi-denominational schools has overtaken those enrolled in Catholic institutions. This is not an ideological debate, it is a practical, demographic and democratic one.
Despite these clear signals from the public, the pace of reform has been unacceptably slow. The Department of Education has stated its ambition to increase the number of multi-denominational schools to 400 by 2030. At present, however, we are nowhere near meeting that target.
The pilot programme intended to facilitate the transfer of school patronage in cities like Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick has yielded only modest results, with very few successful transitions. The complexity of the divestment process and the lack of transparent, community-led consultation are major barriers to progress.
Lack of transparency to stakeholders has been problematic. The Department has promised a survey of parents to get a better idea of preferred patronage, which has no clear start date. Educate Together and other groups have been eager to see this survey begin, but there has been nothing but silence from the Department.
Meanwhile, parents are left with few choices. I have met families who felt compelled to baptise their children solely to improve their chances of securing a school place nearby. Others sit silently through religious instruction they do not subscribe to, hoping not to be made to feel different. In a modern democracy, that is not acceptable. Children should not be required to conform to a particular religious identity in order to access public education. Nor should teachers be required to deliver religious content in a professional context where it conflicts with their own beliefs.
This issue is not about eliminating religion from public life – it is about ensuring that education in publicly funded schools is inclusive, respectful and secular by default. For those families who value religious education, there will always be space for it in appropriate contexts. But State-funded education must reflect the values of all citizens, not a particular tradition.
In my own constituency, I have worked with the Educate D8 campaign, an initiative led by a remarkable group of parents and advocates who have been calling for a multi-denominational school in Dublin 8. Their vision is simple: a school that reflects the pluralism of our community, where no child is left on the margins because of their faith or lack thereof. Despite strong community backing and years of engagement with stakeholders, that campaign has yet to result in a new school. The will is there. What’s lacking is sufficient action at the policy level.
We are at a critical juncture. Teachers themselves are also calling for reform. At the recent Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) conference, a strong majority of teachers expressed support for removing religious symbols from public school spaces and for making religious education optional and conducted outside core hours. This is not a fringe position; it is an emerging consensus among professionals who spend every day in the classroom.
If we are serious about delivering an education system that serves all children equally, then the government must act with far greater urgency. That means speeding up the divestment process, ensuring genuine community input in school patronage decisions, and actively investing in the growth of inclusive, multi-denominational school models.
The question is no longer whether Irish society is ready for secular, pluralistic education. It is whether the State is willing to respond to that readiness. Education is about more than academic instruction; it is about values, identity and the kind of society we hope to build for the next generation.
No parent should have to send their child across the city just to find a school that respects their family’s beliefs. No child should be made to feel othered in a classroom funded by the State. And no teacher should be asked to teach within a framework that does not reflect the diversity of the children they serve.
Ireland is changing. Our education system must change with it.
Jen Cummins is a TD for Dublin South Central and is the party’s spokesperson on education.
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