11/06/07
Green Party Dublin 15 spokesperson, Roderic O’Gorman has called on the incoming Government to make guaranteeing educational choice a major priority. He was speaking at the 3rd Interfaith Roundtable Conference, held in Blanchardstown on Saturday, under the heading of ‘Education and Integration: Learning to fit in?’.
“During the General Election campaign, education was one of the top three issues that came up on the doorsteps. While class size and the lack of schools were the prime concerns, the lack of school choice is something that concerns many parents. This is not only a worry for non-catholic families who find it difficult to get places for their children in catholic schools. There are also a large number of Irish families who simply want their kids educated in a inter-denominational setting, but are prevented from doing this due to a lack of such schools”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.
Speaking after the Conference, Roderic O’Gorman responded to the recent announcements regarding primary schools in Dublin 15.
“While the announcement of the new diocesan Schoil Cholim is welcome for those non-catholic children in the Carpenterstown area who cannot get a place in the existing schools, I would question why the patronage of this new school was not offered to a body like Education Together. Further, it is essential that the planned VEC primary school, which has previously been announced for the Diswellstown area, is not shelved in light of the creation of Schoil Cholim. In a rapidly growing area like Dublin 15, parents should be given as much choice in the type of school in which they wish to educate their child as is possible. After all, such a right to choose a type of education is guaranteed in our Constitution”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.
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