Primary Education

For all those parents struggling to find the cash to pay the voluntary and other contributions to our schools,the clarity of Peter Mullen on Newstalk 106 ‘Coleman at Large’ in defining out primary schools is welcome.

He said that the primary sector is “state assisted but not state provided”. This is a key point in the education debate. It seems to me that the state has reneged on its responsibilities to the primary school sector. Every child in the country ought to have a state-provided primary school place.

Implementationn would resolve the whole church school controversy. It is the responsibility of parents and the state to provide appropriate education and not churches or parishes.

The question should be; how do we get from where we are now to a comprehensive state guarantee of primary education in which the right of parents to denominational education is recognised? More on that in future.