Cathal Barry
Church official has accused some critics of Catholic education of creating a false impression of the work of Catholic schools across the country
A senior Church official has accused some critics of Catholic education of creating a false impression of the work of Catholic schools across the country.
Fr Tom Deenihan (pictured), incoming General Secretary of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), will deliver his first address to the CPSMA AGM tomorrow (Friday).
Speaking ahead of the meeting Fr Deenihan told The Irish Catholic: “There is a narrative that Catholic schools are selective, sectarian and do not educate children together. This narrative is false, if not mischievous.”
Fr Denihan said “Catholic schools serve the community by educate children of different nationalities, faith backgrounds and education abilities”.
His comments come after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and other senior Labour figures hit out at Catholic schools and expressed the hope that religious education would no longer form part of the school day.
“It is regrettable that the whole debate on inclusion and inclusivity has focused on the single area of religious affiliation.
“Inclusion is much more than that, rather Catholic schools are as inclusive as any other and more so than many. The impression has also been given that our schools have an unhealthy obsession with the teaching of religion, even to the exclusion or the detriment of literacy and numeracy. That argument does not hold,” Fr Deenihan said.
