Educate Together welcomes Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's vision of a future that ‘respects the rights of all parents to choose a school which represents their values’. (Diarmuid Martin urges faster provision of choice in schools, Irish Times, 28 September)
Educate Together is delighted to see a coalescence of opinion on the need for a greater diversity of schools. Educate Together is about creating more choice for more families and comments such as those made by Dr Martin will encourage the thousands of parents up and down the country who are working tirelessly to bring greater choice in schools to their communities.
In September this year Educate Together opened nine schools, providing families with more choice than ever in their children's education. Educate Together is committed to continuing to open schools in Dublin and other urban areas.
However, Educate Together regularly receives emails from parents from counties where there is no provision of Educate Together national schools, i.e. Leitrim, Roscommon, Monaghan, Cavan, Tipperary and Longford. In addition, there are currently 17 divestment areas still waiting for Educate Together schools promised in 2013. The rights of families living outside urban centres must also be acknowledged. It is time to follow through on these commitments and expand the provision of Educate Together schools throughout the country.
It would be wonderful to think that greater cooperation and goodwill between stakeholders would bring these new schools to fruition, providing choice and space for everyone.
