A Blast from the Past

UNIVERSE COMMENT (10th May 1992)

EDUCATION: COME CLEAN

IT WAS shrewd of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales not to denounce the likely education policy of the new Government but simply to ask what is. The answer from John Patten, if it is tolerably honest, will be of considerable interest far beyond the confines of the Catholic community. At present to describe the policy as a 'pig in the poke' would be to pay it too high a compliment. Less charitable souls than the bishops could be forgiven for suspecting that the whole idea of opting-out, for instance, was first devised on the back of an envelope. It is being promoted for a variety of reasons unconnected with genuine educational concerns. The fingerprints of dogmatic politicians are all over it. Conceived in haste,
with little or no consultation,its long-term results are certain to be disruptive and ,may well be disastrous.

One thing is clear. The originators of opting-out paid scant attention to the evolution and delicate balance of the existing dual-system. They did not sufficiently understand or give enough weight to the distinctive role of the voluntary sectoror to its rights and responsibilities. In the name of parental choice the achievements of the past and the total, balanced educational needs of the present have been put seriously at risk. If the fabric of secondary education is being ripped apart haphazardly, then the Church, which has a major investment in schools, has a right to be treated more responsibly and with greater respect. It is to be bishops' credit that their approach is not narrowly self-interested but concerned with the well-being of all children and the very future of our society.

At a time when market forces are paid almost mystical regard it is imperative that Cardinal Hume in particular and the other bishops should continue to make their major contribution to the debate on values in education. There is clearly a crisis inBritish schools. The remedies so far proposed are simplistic and divisive. Catholic voluntary schools are more necessary now
than ever. The cost and complexity of maintaining adequate secondary provision are an increasingly heavy burden on dioceses. But is is here that the minds and hearts of young people are won or lost. Some in the Catholic community would prefer our major effort to be confined to parish-based primary schools. Some believe that the state or the independent sector offers better opportunities at secondary level. The cooling of support for distinctively Catholic schools calls for a careful but vigorous response. We continue to need an integrated and adequate Catholic secondary provision.