Demands for a national forum on the future management of schools gained momentum yesterday as Fine Gael backed the proposal.
In his first major policy statement, the party's new education spokesman Brian Hayes also accused some Catholic schools of "pursuing a selective agenda". Fundamental questions were also raised, he said, when publicly-funded schools introduced selective admission policies.
"For more than 150 years the Catholic Church has had a privileged position in Irish education. It cannot expect to continue this privileged position while at the same time pursuing a selective agenda."
He said a new national forum on education was essential to help clarify the issues concerning governance, patronage and management of our school system.
The State, he said, could not allow segregation to become the new norm within the primary school system.
"We all have a responsibility to make sure that the mistakes in north Co Dublin seen in recent weeks are not replicated in new and expanding suburbs. It is now high time to deal with all of the complicated issues surrounding this issue in a measured and upfront way."
A demand for a national forum on education was first made by the Irish National Teachers Organisation last month. The union's general secretary, John Carr, says the forum could chart a course for Irish schools in a non-confrontational manner.
Despite these calls, there are few signs that Minister for Education Mary Hanafin will warm to the idea. Sources say the Minister is concerned the new forum will be "another talking shop".
In his statement Mr Hayes recalled how, traditionally, the vast majority of children went to the local national school, where children of all social backgrounds mingled.
"In recent years, particularly in our large urban centres, the primary school system is becoming fragmented.
This fragmentation is being driven by social and economic divisions, by religion, by language and by ethnicity. There are huge dangers in what is happening."
