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EDUCATION MINISTER NORMA Foley has acknowledged that school divestment programmes have “yielded very small results”.
The government has a commitment of having 400 multi-denominational primary schools across Ireland by 2030.
Speaking on RTÉ, Foley said this figure currently stands at 174.
Foley also noted that 51 of the 52 new primary schools established since 2011 are multi denominational, while 45 of the 51 post primary schools established since then are also multi denominational.
“We’ve run a number of different pilots and so on, it’s a really complex issue,” said Foley.
“I think there’s a belief that as Minister for Education, I would have the power that with the stroke of a pen, I could divest to school. That’s actually not true, I don’t have that power.”
Foley added that it is a “matter for a school community and everybody has to be engaged”.
She said the pilots that have been run so far have “yielded very small results” and added: “Going forward, I have decided that these pilots didn’t do what we needed them to do.”
A survey of parents had been promised by the department in September 2023, and again in December 2023.
Foley said she was “conscious that oftentimes when we have these discussions around divestment, parents who have children in preschool are not included”.
“So this national survey will be one where the voices of parents who have children in preschool, parents who have children in primary school, staff, everybody will be part of this,” said Foley.
As well as including parents of preschool children, the survey has also been broadened beyond questions on the school ethos.
The three main questions of this survey will be: what is parents’ preferred ethos, what is their preferred language medium – English or Irish – and whether they would prefer coeducational or single sex schools.
“This will generate a whole host of information that will really give us an opportunity to chart education going forward,” said Foley.
She added that it is her “intention to have this up and running before the end of the year”.
“In deciding to broaden it, it has put a little bit more responsibility on the department, but I think we need to gather the broadest amount of information that will help us to chart education, not just to 2030 but to 2050,” said Foley.
Foley also said there is an “admission, not just from Government, but an admission from everyone in the world of education” that there needs to be greater choice in primary education.
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