In my role as General Secretary of the Joint Managerial Body and the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (JMB/AMCSS), I attended the 27th Annual Conference of the organisation in Galway last week.
The JMB/AMCSS represents the boards of management and school management in the network of 380 voluntary secondary schools in Ireland. The theme for the 27th Annual Conference was Catholic Education: Past, Present and Future.
The programme began with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the JMB, established in 1964 to represent the interests of denominational education at second level. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin gave the keynote address in which he told us that the future of Catholic education is linked with the necessity of ensuring access to schools of diverse patronage for the children of families who so desire and whose fundamental right it is.
He reminded us that Catholic education plays a vital place in our Irish educational system, as something which brings a unique value system, a value system which is recognised also by families of a variety of religious traditions who opt to send their children to a Catholic school.
Archbishop Martin outlined his belief that Catholic education will continue to play that role in the future, working however alongside other schools which embrace a different ethos and contribute, in their way, to the rightful pluralism of educational provision in today’s Ireland.
He encouraged us to welcome pluralism, noting that young Christians need strong roots in their faith in order to flourish in a pluralist society. He pointed out that the challenge of pluralism is to make each school a place of welcome for the deprived, the marginalised and those with educational challenges.
Archbishop Martin reminded the State that where parents wish their children to receive education with a Catholic ethos, the State has the obligation to support that choice. Catholic schools which provide the same educational service as other schools should receive the same support also with regard to the cost of management services.
The archbishop challenged us to recognise the seeming paradox, but the longer the Church exercises a near monopoly in primary education, the more difficult it will be foster and maintain a genuine Catholic ethos in those schools.
Catholic schools and inclusivity
The President of the AMCSS, Fr Paul Connell, in his address reminded us that Catholic voluntary secondary schools are committed to inclusivity and that the presence of children from other traditions enriches the educational experience offered in our schools. Acceptance of, and commitment to, this ecumenical spirit is not characterised by a reduction of all Christian expressions to the lowest common denominator.
Fr Connell outlined for the audience, which included Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and his senior officials, some of the key challenges being faced by the leadership of voluntary secondary schools including the impact of the recession with cut-backs in resources, personnel and financial, the challenge of leading the introduction of a range of new initiatives in the area of teaching and learning and the ever increasing workload for school leaders.
Fr Paul implored the minister and his officials to respond positively to these challenges especially as school management was fast reaching crisis point in trying to manage and at the same time provide leadership in the school communities.
The future of Catholic education
The final session explored the future of the Catholic secondary school with Fr Michael Drumm, Chairperson of the Catholic Schools Partnership, who shared with us the outcome of four regional assemblies.
Fr Drumm encouraged us to engage in dialogue at school, national, but most particularly to come together at local level to explore the future direction for Catholic education at second level.
The experience of the two days left me with a strong sense of challenge and at the same time enthusiasm to promote the message of Pope Francis when he urges us “to give our young people hope and optimism for their journey in the world, to teach them to see the beauty and goodness of creation and the hallmark of the Creator”.