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Bishop joins growing calls to end transfer stalemate
Friday, 16 October 2009
The head of the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education (NICCE) has urged Assembly members to find a solution now to the ongoing row over school transfer.
Bishop Donal McKeown said schools were having to cope with a situation that has resulted from “a serious political failure on the part of the Executive”.
And the former head of St Malachy’s College in Belfast called on our politicians to “seek out a solution now when we need it — and not when it is politically convenient for them”.
Bishop McKeown’s comments come as representatives from four of the main political parties met this week in the first of a series of weekly meetings held to try and break the current logjam.
Sinn Fein’s education spokesman John O’Dowd boycotted the meeting and later branded it a publicity stunt.
However, a joint statement issued by the SDLP, UUP, DUP and Alliance parties on Wednesday said: “The difficult process of building consensus on this unfortunately contentious issue has begun.”
It also stated that there were significant areas of agreement between the parties.
The meeting followed the launch of the Belfast Telegraph’s Sit Down, Sort it Out campaign, which is calling for focused Executive talks to find an agreed way forward.
Thousands of people have already backed our demand that an agreed solution is found so that children transferring to second-level education in 2011 do not face the same trauma and confusion as those in 2010.
NICCE has said that Catholic grammar schools should begin phasing out selection from next year and end it completely by 2012.
Bishop McKeown said: “Schools
and parents are now coming to realise the implications of the current legislative vacuum.
“Many people are very anxious and schools face many challenges.
“This further battle, that should have been resolved within the Assembly, has now been handed over to schools — and teachers, pupils, parents, governors and school owners are now left to resolve the issue, sometimes attacking one another.
“As trustees we are very aware of the widespread concerns in the community and the detrimental effect this is having on all schools.”
He went on to say that Catholic trustees are not neutral about the way forward.
“The vast bulk of educationalists, not only within the Catholic sector, acknowledge that mass academic selection at 11 into separate silos is no longer educationally or philosophically tenable,” he said.
“Trustees will continue to work for an end to rigid academic selection as soon as that is reasonably possible. But politicians will have to find a solution sooner or later.
“As voters we expect them to seek out a solution now when we need it — and not when it is politically convenient for them.”
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Bishop McKeown does not speak for all in the catholic community ,in fact there are many including boards of Governors who strongly disagree with his views
Posted by C Donnelly | 22.10.09, 23:56 GMT
all schools should be intregated and none religious, leave religion to various places of worship
Posted by w. gould | 19.10.09, 12:56 GMT
How can the Bishops be claimed to be joining the BT campaign which is esentially against academic selection when they were instigators of the change in the first instance? The BT seem to be following the lead of the churches - no academic selection, Pupil Profiles and transfer at 14. Wagging tail and dogs?
Posted by Parental Alliance for Choice in Education | 19.10.09, 11:09 GMT
The Bishops haven't joined the call to end academic selection - they started it. They can have any system they like for their schools but should have no influence whatsoever on the state system. If the state was attempting to impose control on the Catholic Church there would be no end of complaint from the very same Bishops. Plurality seems to have been removed from the Church's equality equation.
Posted by Parental Alliance for Choice in Education | 17.10.09, 18:24 GMT
John McMahon - pot, kettle, black?
I agree totally with TJ. The Bishop's main priority is preserving the sectarian educational wonderland that his organisation has helped to build and maintain in NI over the past few decades. It's high time that religious schools were a remnant of the past.
Could you ever imagine referring to five year old children as 'Capitalist' children or 'Marxist' children, why is it any less ridiculous to refer to them as 'Protestant' children or 'Catholic' children? It is absolutely bonkers, a shame. Children should not be separated at age four or five down religious lines. Parents and schools have no right to indoctrinate/brainwash their children when they are at school, if they want to do it outside of school then fair enough. School should be a religiously neutral experience. Teachers and schools should not be used to propagate outrageous fairy stories.
Ordo ab chao?
Posted by WH | 17.10.09, 02:22 GMT
John McMahon | 16.10.09, 13:32
'Mind your manners' ?????
'The head of the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education (NICCE) has urged Assembly members to find a solution now to the ongoing row over school transfer.'
As long as it is in keeping with his opinion and that of the Catholic church hierarchy.
.... and do not tell me all Catholics agree with an end to academic selection.
Posted by T J McClean | 16.10.09, 15:40 GMT
T J McClean
“No mention of the separate apartheid 'silos' of State and Catholic Education then Bishop?
The Bishop is very selective in his criticism!"
Mind your manners. The bishop is entitled to his views and to express them. Just imagine a Catholic bishop being in agreement with the education policy of his church. What next?
Posted by John McMahon | 16.10.09, 13:32 GMT
bishop im sorry you cant bring yourself to condemn injustice to chidren caused by ruane, suffer the little children
Posted by w. gould | 16.10.09, 13:20 GMT
It has been apparent for a while now TJ that the Catholic church and the Minister have reached an understanding.
They keep their religious schools, she and her party's policy is not criticised.
I find it disappointing but not very surprising.
Posted by Anne | 16.10.09, 12:52 GMT
“The vast bulk of educationalists, not only within the Catholic sector, acknowledge that mass academic selection at 11 into separate silos is no longer educationally or philosophically tenable,” he said.
This statement from the bishop is clearly personal fantasy.
No criticism whatsoever to be directed at Mrs Ruane, Bishop?
No mention of the separate apartheid 'silos' of State and Catholic Education then Bishop?
The Bishop is very selective in his criticism!
Posted by T J McClean | 16.10.09, 08:57 GMT