Concern for Educate Together school in Westport

Áine Ryan

EDUCATE Together has ‘expressed concern’ for the divestment process facilitating a school in Westport. Regional Development Officer for Educate Together, Jennifer Buttner has highlighted the fact that the Diocese of Kerry recently agreed to transfer patronage of a national school directly to the local Education and Training Board (formerly VECs) without consultation with Educate Together or other patrons and with limited consultation with local parents.
Responding to a Government survey in 2013, parents in both Westport and Killarney chose Educate Together as their favoured school patron.  Now, Educate Together says that the ‘news from Killarney has caused much concern among Westport parents that a similar situation may occur in their town and their hopes of an equality-based school will be dashed’.
“I know that parents in Westport will be deeply anxious that the Killarney situation will be replicated in their town but I would like to reassure them that Educate Together will do all it can to prevent this happening,” Jennifer Buttner said.
Speaking on behalf of the Westport Educate Together Campaign Group, Linda McNulty said:  “As a concerned parent I am appalled at the lack of choice for parents regarding their children’s education in Westport. It is time for the Government to follow through on its promise of an Educate Together school.”
According to Educate Together, the Education and Training Board model is that of the Community National School which, although styling itself as ‘multi-denominational’, continues to carry out faith formation within school hours and is the model favoured most highly by the Catholic Church.
Established by the Government in 2011 the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, aims to  create more diversity and inclusiveness in the primary school system through ‘reconfiguration’ of church buildings and schools. Parents in 43 areas were consulted on their preferred patronage.
In the intervening years progress has been slow, partly due to departmental insistence that it be a ‘no cost’ process.
Last year after several setbacks, Co Mayo’s second Educate Together school opened in county town, Castlebar.

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www.educatetogether.ie or the campaign page on Facebook, Educate Together Westport