The connections between religion and education in this country have been the subject of usually passionate dispute for many centuries. This has rarely been accompanied by constructive discourse and it is remarkable how so few of the arguments deployed seem to have changed in recent times. In that context, I very much welcomed last week's conference in TCD on the role of denominational schools in a pluralist society and the valuable breadth of contributors brought together by the conference organiser, the late Dr Daniel Murphy.

Since the early years of the Christian church, it has been inextricably linked with education. Understandably, religious division helped to make education a battleground: with, for example, the more noteworthy schemes to convert the majority of the Irish population to the reformed Church of Ireland being based on attempts to create a network of schools. With the growth of toleration, a parallel system of schools developed and certainly contributed to suspicion and division between denominations. An essential point to make on this is that we are not unusual in this; indeed the secular model of public schooling is less frequent.

The system of denominational education is intrinsically bound up in our history, it is interwoven into the basic legal instruments of our State and it plays a vital part in the life of the community. As I said in my opening remarks to the conference, I believe the essential question now stands, that as our society becomes less and less denominational, indeed more and more pluralist, what is the role of this largely denominational system which we have? Denominational education must be assessed in terms of what it is today. It is what is happening on the ground in 1998 that matters, not what was happening in 1868 or 1968. We need to go beyond stereotypes and to realise that the schools which we attended, even where they have the same buildings, names and uniforms, are no longer the same schools.

There is no doubt that religious denominations have made an immense contribution to building and supporting a network of schools which has given so many Irish people the opportunity to benefit from a high-quality education.

I believe that one of the great strengths of our schools has always been the way in which they are rooted in their communities and have had a high degree of autonomy. Schools have always had autonomy in hiring their staffs and the State has not assumed the role of directing children to particular schools. This local empowerment is exactly the type of model which other countries are seeking to move towards.

The other side to this local autonomy, and the often caricatured side to denominational control, has been the concentration of control into one pair of hands. The image of the stern parish priest dictating to the local school teacher is one still beloved of Irish writers.

I WOULD like to suggest that this is significantly less of an issue now than it has been in recent years and for two reasons. First, while disputes on matters of doctrine and practice remain, the churches cannot really be seen as autocratic monoliths any more. In parishes throughout the country, lay involvement is both encouraged and essential. Second, we have balanced and inclusive boards of management in our primary schools following the historic agreement which I was pleased to have brought to a conclusion late last year.

This is not yet the case in relation to most second-level schools and, as I have said on many occasions, this must change. A process similar to that which led to agreement at primary level is now under way and I hope it will be concluded before the end of the school year.

I want to emphasise that the pooling of power which is at the centre of any meaningful partnership is in no sense a threat to denominational education; rather, in my view, it represents a new opportunity. An opportunity for denominational schools to grow and develop in partnership with the key stakeholders in the school without any diminution of their mission. Key to that mission is the fostering in denominational schools of an ethos or characteristic spirit based primarily on religious beliefs. The legal right of schools to do this is secure. But the preservation of the ethos of schools does not depend upon the law alone. Increasingly, it must involve the support and commitment of those, other than the owners, who participate in the schools.

At primary level we have also seen a new movement for multi-denominational schools which I welcome, and I have taken a number of decisions directly aimed at assisting the parents' groups who have been leading this movement. It is clear that their enrolments will grow at least in the medium term. It is important to say that denominational schools will continue to be centrally important, and that they face the challenge of protecting their ethos while also being inclusive. I very much welcome the position adopted by all the education groups involved in the School Accommodation Commission's report, which called for the development of models of good practice on the inclusivity of denominational schools.

It is a curious fact that most discussions on pluralism take place in the context of members of the majority church considering how their church can benefit from the perspectives of others. In looking at the role of our denominational schools we need to make sure that we properly appreciate the unique position of the schools under minority direction. I believe that having their own schools gives religious minorities the opportunity to protect a communal identity among small and dispersed congregations. You could, in fact, say that the maintenance of denominational schools makes pluralism possible in this country. The comments to the conference of the former Secretary of the Church of Ireland Board of Education, David Meredith, seem to reflect support for this idea.

I am very conscious of my role as Minister for Education in protecting the rights of religious minorities in relation to education and have sought to develop and maintain good relations with them. When I was appointed I was struck by the reluctance of some minority communities to approach me and my Department on issues concerning their local schools. While we obviously have a lot which needs to be done for these and all other schools, I hope we have established our openness and I am grateful for the comments of Primate Eames on this at the recent synod.

In Ireland we value our denominational schools, and I foresee a bright future for them. But we also respect the rights of others to organise schools in a different way and we value the involvement of all the stakeholders in our education system as a fundamental principle. The challenge is to preserve what is good in our system while creating an environment where our education system can evolve to meet the demands of contemporary society. While their denominational structure may have had its roots in division, I believe there is a lot to be proud of in our schools, and we should not lightly seek to make them conform to ideas of pluralism which are based on the flawed idea that they are the same schools that existed 50 years ago. We must protect and expand diversity and inclusiveness, but at the same time give the practical opportunity to denominations to maintain their own identities.