A recently published in-depth study of Catholic education in Ireland shows that Catholic education in Ireland is at risk of falling off a demographic cliff, with the number of Catholic school teachers professing their observance expected to decline rapidly. ing.
A six-part report conducted by Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE), an international research-based partnership between researchers and Catholic educational institutions from universities in Ireland, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. is entitled “Identity and Ethos in Catholic Elementary Education.'' 'Ireland's secondary schools, exploring stakeholder attitudes and actions' – raises very practical questions and suggests practical solutions to strengthen Catholic education.
However, the public perception of the report seems to suggest only one solution: reduce the number of schools or dilute Catholic education. In Ireland, Catholicism is becoming increasingly popular, not only due to inaction by school users, but also due to the Department of Education's increasingly authoritarian push to provide value-neutral, fact-based, and evidence-based education in the field of social education. It is clear that a dilution of education is occurring. This undermines the freedom and ability of the school, like Catholic schools in other countries, to fully embrace its ideals and promote the Gospel, and undermines moral formation.
For years, the Catholic Church in Ireland has been under intense pressure from activist interest groups to relinquish or relinquish its patronage of an unspecified number of schools that it had established and operated for decades, and in some cases centuries. It's here. Based on our findings, we believe that for some, divestment in response to changing demographics and increasing secularization may be necessary in order to maintain the appearance of authentic faith-based education and avoid compromised versions. Even if it is not, there is an argument that it is the most realistic response. For everything diluted by external pressure and internal incompetence.
A school that is given away to a secular or humanist user is also left behind by a family that is giving up the Catholic heritage, the blood, sweat, tears, and years that went into founding and operating the school. There is an increasing risk of For decades.
The report shows that today's schools are fostering a Catholic identity and ethos, based on the school's philosophy, users, and teachers over 50 who believe in God, practice their faith, and attend Mass regularly. There is some reassurance that there is evidence that this is true. However, looking at the younger demographic, this proportion is likely to decline significantly over the next 15 years, with subsequent knock-on effects on the provision of Catholic education to children and young people.
At primary level, 89 per cent of all schools in Ireland are sponsored by the Catholic Church, with local bishops 'delegating some of their responsibilities to a Board of Management (BoM), who are responsible for ' has ultimate responsibility. At the secondary level, 50% of schools have some form of Catholic auspices, and governance is a little more complicated. Sponsorship and trusteeship are primarily left to religious organizations and their trusts, or only to a few of the latter.
On a superficial level, the numbers presented in the report are somewhat reassuring and will now take care of itself. Given the degree of secularization in Ireland in recent years, Catholic school personnel appear to hold high levels of religiosity compared to the prevailing narrative around religion in this country. This story is murky at best, but often from hostile and influential circles.
Due to the widespread Catholic trusteeship of schools and the fact that schools are publicly funded and implicitly considered public goods, most ordinary Irish citizens feel that they We do not consider our school to be explicitly Catholic. Catholic patronage appears to be primarily a problem for competing patrons, humanist/atheist interest groups, and hostile media and politicians. The majority of parents at the local level do not want to give up their patronage, or divestment as it is colloquially named.
For those outside Ireland, it is expected that those associated with Catholic schools will be assumed to have a Catholic identity. Not so in Ireland. Aside from chaplains, the Catholic identity of school personnel is rarely, if ever, brought into public questioning. In fact, being “too Catholic” is probably more of a problem than the other way around. So for many people in Ireland, almost 98 percent of principals, vice principals, religious education teachers and his 88 percent of staff consider themselves Roman Catholics, and 86 percent believe in God. You may be surprised to read what it says. According to the GRACE report.
In 15 years, most school leadership positions will now be held by people under the age of 50. Religious observance among teachers fell from 63 percent among those over 50 to 41 percent among younger generations. There should be grave concern, especially among those tasked with forming religions. The proportion of teachers in educational institutions who attend religious services has fallen from 74 percent to 38 percent when comparing over-50s and under-50s, respectively.
Is it possible that in the future the majority of Catholic schools will be led by people who are not committed to the faith? The report finds that despite the generally high levels of support and favoritism for the Catholic ethos within schools today, , suggests that without constructive and active engagement, its support will decline in the coming years. But the question remains: where does the involvement come from?
Much of the writing surrounding the report's release focused on comments by one of the authors that school divestment needs to be accelerated to enable the Catholic Church to adequately fund a manageable number of schools. I was guessing. “If we don't act now, we will be overwhelmed by demographic changes,” said Eugene Duffy, a professor at Mary Immaculate University. irish catholicHe cited the decline in Catholicism over generations.
Divestment, or a reduction in the number of schools, appears to be a manageable and somewhat convenient option to preserve the Catholic ethos in the face of what the author accurately describes as an “increasingly secular and sometimes dangerous environment.” “As hostile as it may seem to Catholicism in Irish schools,'' it risks further failing children and parents who want and deserve a Catholic education.
Tensions between the state and church over education stem from the fact that education was provided through the trusteeship that the Catholic (and Protestant) Church exercised when the state was absent or unable to take charge. It is also a vestige of the historical fact that Anti-Catholic British rule, or weak post-colonial states without the resources or structures to establish a functioning public education system.
Over time, reliance on state funding increased as countries developed their tax bases and school funding moved from the local to the national level. This meant that the economic pressure to conform to the zeitgeist began to be felt, even if it was not expressed overtly. After all, the person who pays the piper makes the notes. From the 1980s onwards, the zeitgeist shifted from Catholicism to secular humanism in Ireland, a change that accelerated with each decade.
As increasingly zealous and ideological governments put pressure on schools to essentially act as agents of national education through curriculum reforms in areas essential to their identity (particularly relationships and sex education) , Catholic patronage is rapidly becoming a deciding point in national education. The report's authors recommend a sale or dilution.
But it doesn't have to be this way. One of the most striking comments in the report highlights both cause for concern and optimism. Willingness to address mental issues to a significant extent. However, it is remarkable that so much good work is being done despite the indifference on the part of patrons. ”
Rather than develop an action plan that builds on the good work that has been done to date, this report is likely to result in divestment efforts being driven by social and demographic changes. It would be a shame if it were used as a means of rushing forward. Indifference from patrons.
This report provides a list of recommendations for structural improvements that can maintain good practices. Divestitures will not prevent the coming religious demographic cliff, with the proportion of 25-35 year olds identifying themselves as Catholic falling from 80 percent to less than 5 percent between 2011 and 2022 This is reflected in census data showing that
Can the solution of a reduction in the number of more authentic Catholic schools turn the tide and halt the decline, or will the best results be achieved by protecting and strengthening current levels of Catholic education? There remains debate about this.
Pessimists tend to prefer the former, and hopeless optimists prefer the latter. The best solution may be somewhere in between. Or it could be the worst. The experience in Ireland shows that no matter what the Church does to appease a secular state, it is not enough and the bread shared and eaten is quickly forgotten.
Photo: Students taking part in the Student Leadership Conference at Dublin City University's St. Patrick's Campus on April 17, 2024 (Image: Screenshot) Catholic Education Irish Schools Trust (CEIST)).
