Change is often painful even if it is to improve a situation. The truth of this adage is obvious in relation to the ongoing discussion about the post-primary transfer procedures in Northern Ireland.
Some people are firmly committed to the concept of academic selection at eleven.
One of the arguments in favour of the retention of academic selection is parental choice. Choice and free will have been recognised by the Church from the beginni
ng. They are enshrined in many civil Constitutions. Choice and the exercise of free will are desired by people everywhere. It is a matter of justice. However, free will and choice must be exercised within an ethical context. The exercise of free will, in the biblical context, is intended to promote our freedom to choose good, not to suggest an indifference on the part of God to our choice of something which is not good. Is it acceptable to promote and facilitate an unjust and discriminatory system in the name of freedom of choice? Surely the ethical answer to this question is 'no'.
In fact the endeavour to eliminate injustice promotes a society which is more truly free. Injustice needs to be eliminated in order to create the necessary environment for Christian free choice.
Academic selection is unjust, in that it facilitates social selection contrary to Catholic Church teaching, and it curtails freedom. Social selection will be discussed later in this paper. In relation to the curtailment of freedom, for example, academic selection eliminates the parental choice of some people in one particular area of a town to send their children to the nearest Post Primary School. We cannot have parental choice for some and not all. We cannot have freedom of choice for some and not all. It is also important to note that an argument based primarily on freedom of choice can be very dangerous. For example, this is the argument that is used by people who describe themselves as pro choice in the debate on abortion. Choice must be exercised in a context which is based on Christian faith and ethics – the free choice of a moral good.
For the Catholic School the Christian context is created by the Gospel. The heart of the Gospel is our relationship with Jesus Christ. For Catholics, the lived expression of that relationship with Jesus Christ is the Eucharist. When Jesus wanted to explain the Eucharist to his friends at the Last Supper he washed their feet. He served them.
Jean Vanier, in his book 'Drawn into the mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John', when he discusses the washing of the feet, says - "All groups, all societies, are built on the model of the pyramid: at the top are the powerful, the rich, the intelligent. They are called to govern and guide. At the bottom are the immigrants, the slaves, the servants, people who are out of work, or who have a mental illness or different forms of disabilities.They are excluded, marginalized. Here, Jesus is taking the place of a person at the bottom, the last place, place of a slave. For Peter this is impossible. Little does he realize that Jesus came to transform the model of society from a pyramid to a body, where each and every person has a place, whatever their abilities and disabilities, where each one is dependent upon the other. Each is called to fulfil a mission in the body of humanity and of the Church.
There is no 'last place'."
This is the image and vision that the Church has for Catholic Education and Catholic Schooling. It is a Eucharistic vision. It is a vision that endeavours to be inclusive of the whole Catholic community. It celebrates the community as the Body of Christ.
In this vision there should not be schools that could be termed elitist in the pyramid model of society. The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland, in June 2002, wrote that "in many cases the current 'academic selection' in practice leads to appreciable social selection". There should not be a school in one area of a town with only 6.1% of pupils on free school meals while a couple of miles away another school has 62.3% of pupils on free schools meals.
We cannot change the past, but we have a duty and responsibility to ensure that it doesn't continue into the future. The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education in the document The Catholic School states - "Since education is an important means of improving the social and economic condition of the individual and of peoples, if the Catholic school were to turn its attention exclusively or predominantly to those from the wealthier social classes, it could be contributing towards maintaining their privileged position, and could thereby continue to favour a society which is unjust."
The Sacred Congregation in The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium states -- "In its ecclesial dimension another characteristic of the Catholic School has its root: it is a school for all, with special attention to those who are weakest."
The vision for Catholic Schools is abundantly clear. Catholic schools are to be inclusive. They are to be sacred places where all the children are called together to be formed in the way of Jesus Christ.
If we are to embrace this dynamic vision and show another way to the pyramid model in society we need to seize this unique moment for change. In truth, we need to repent for the division we have caused in the Catholic family through education in the past. The greatest evidence of our repentance will be our commitment to transform education for all our children.
This transformation of education will not deny the rights of the academically gifted. It will allow these rights to be exercised in a holistic community where children with all abilities and talents will grow and flourish together in the way of Jesus. To achieve this Catholic vision, no Catholic school should have academic selection as an admission criterion. Bishops should continue to intervene to ensure that the Catholic character of the Catholic School is developed and encouraged. In The Catholic School the Sacred Congregation states - "Where difficulties and conflicts arise about the authentic Christian character of the Catholic School, hierarchical authority can and must intervene."
Hopefully in this new time for education, our society, our government, our Churches and our schools will work together to ensure that our young people are not simply educated to pass exams and gain certificates but are educated to make a real and positive difference in society. Then our young people will be educated in a way which is authentically Catholic. They will appreciate the dignity of work as more than simply a means to make money. They will have a deep sense of social responsibility. They will be curious and flexible. They will be committed to their faith and will strive to build communion with those from different faiths. These are the matters of vital importance and these matters need to be addressed urgently. To do this we need to get away from the distraction of academic selection - not clinging in fear to the past, but looking to a Catholic future in education.
