Madam, — In his “Rite and Reason” opinion column on Irish education (April 14th) Dick Spicer, of the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI), believes many people “may feel violated and discriminated against by the system as they experience it”.
Mr Spicer believes that the Government ought to provide a model of schooling completely free from religious inspiration to accommodate parents who wish to have their children educated in a purely secularist environment.
In insisting that the State ought to provide such a model, Mr Spicer is ignoring the fact that the current schools available to parents were established by local communities to accommodate the wishes of parents, the vast majority of whom want to have their children educated in a faith-based environment. (For example, an April 2008 survey carried out by the Council for Research and Development of the Irish Bishops’ Conference found that 95 per cent of parents are satisfied with their decision to send their child to the school they currently attend).
The Christian churches and the Irish Jewish community have long struggled to provide free primary education to students despite limited funding provided by successive Irish governments.
Similarly, in recent times, for example, the growing Islamic community that has made Ireland its home has expended considerable time and energy in ensuring that it can provide primary education for parents who wish to have their children educated in an Islamic faith-based environment.
In the same fashion, parents who favour a multi-denominational approach have established dozens of national schools across the State according to the Educate Together model.
In believing that the Government ought to provide a model of schooling to cater for the needs of the Humanist Association of Ireland (HAI), Mr Spicer is demanding preferential treatment for the HAI not accorded to other groups of parents in Ireland.
Why should not the HAI expend the same time, energy and enthusiasm as other parents in Irish society in ensuring that there is a school model that suits their particular needs? After all, as the Constitution makes it clear in Article 42.1: “The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.” Perhaps the €7,000 the HAI is spending running an advertising campaign on the Dart might be more profitably spent developing a model of schooling acceptable to the HAI so that, in the future, the people Mr Spicer is so concerned about may not “feel violated and discriminated against” by their schooling. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I get more annoyed every time I read yet another article attacking the Irish education system for allowing parents to send their children to faith-based schools, and criticising the churches for their involvment in education.
Our four children are at Church of Ireland-run primary and secondary schools and we are most appreciative of the freedom to educate them in an ethos with which we are comfortable, a freedom which is lacking in many other countries. There is a wealth of choice in the Irish system, including the freedom to set up new models of schools, such as was done in recent years by Educate Together.
Parents like myself who have chosen faith-based education have no wish to impose this on others. Yet some who prefer a different ethos, particularly the Humanists who are so vocal recently, seem to think we should all have their prefered model imposed on us.
Set up secular schools by all means, but don’t force them on everyone. The religious freedom we have in this country, to openly practise any faith or none, is a wonderful privilege and should be treasured. My experience, and that of friends who chose Catholic schools, is that schools with a Christian ethos promote a wonderful acceptance and respect for others.
Children who have learned about faith will have the freedom to choose whether or not to accept it.
How will those denied any knowledge about faith ever have the freedom to make their own choice? – Yours, etc,