PARENTS across the Southside have been urged to have their say on who they want running primary schools in the area.
The Minister for Education, Ruari Quinn, wants parents in Dublin 6, Ballyfermot, Chapelizod, Palmerstown and Cherry Orchard to indicate which patron bodies they would like to see running their local schools.
Surveys on primary school patronage are taking the views of parents of all children aged up to 12 in 38 areas across Ireland into consideration.
Pilot surveys on primary school patronage were conducted late last year in five towns.
The survey can be accessed on line via www.education.ie and parents or guardians of primary school going children in the 38 towns and suburbs are urged to fill it in.
The aim of the survey is to establish the level of demand from parents for diversity of school patronage in each of the towns. At present, some 96 per cent of primary schools are under church patronage, with more than 90 per cent or approximately 3,000 schools under the remit of the Catholic Church.
This survey initiative follows on from the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary sector.
If parents indicate they would like a wider choice of patron, then the Department of Education and Skills (DES) will ask existing patrons to come up with a plan to transfer some schools to other bodies.
“This is an historic opportunity for parents in Dublin to have a real say in the type of school they wish to send their children to, be it denominational, multi-denominational, all-Irish or other,
? said Minister Quinn.
“In those areas in Dublin where the surveys are taking place, there is little prospect of any new schools opening as the population remains stable and there is enough capacity within existing schools.
“However, if parents demonstrate through this survey that they want a greater choice of primary school then we will work with existing patrons to transfer patronage to ensure they can send their children to a school which best reflects their own ethos and beliefs.
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The bodies that have indicated that they would like to become patrons include the CDVEC, County Dublin VEC, An Foras Patrúnachta, Educate Together and, in Dublin 6, the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Current patrons include the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough, An Foras Patrúnachta, Educate Together and the Ranelagh Multi-denominational School Association.