Parents of children in Ballinasloe and Roscommon are to be asked what patrons they would like operating their local primary schools.
Surveys went live on Monday to canvas parents in 38 areas across the country, including Ballinasloe and Roscommon, on school patronage for their areas.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is aiming to establish the level of demand from parents for diversity of school patronage in each of the towns.
The survey can be accessed online via www.education.ie, and parents or guardians of primary school-going children and children under five years old in the designated towns and suburbs are being urged to fill it in.
At present, some 96 per cent of primary schools are under church patronage, with more than 90 per cent or approximately 3,000 schools under the remit of the Catholic Church.
If parents indicate they would like a wider choice of patron, then the Department of Education will ask existing patrons to come up with a plan to transfer some schools to other patron bodies.
“In the 38 towns and suburbs where the surveys are taking place, there is little prospect of any new schools opening as the population remains stable and there is enough capacity within existing schools. However, if parents demonstrate through this survey that they want a greater choice of primary school then we will work with existing patrons to transfer patronage to ensure they can send their children to a school which best reflects their own ethos and beliefs,” said Minister Quinn.
The bodies which have indicated that they would like to become patrons of any divested schools in the identified areas are the VECs, An Foras Patrúnachta, Educate Together, and in a small number of areas the National Learning Network and the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Parents and guardians of all 0-12 year-olds in the 38 towns have from now until February 8 to complete the survey at www.education.ie Parents will need their PPS number in order to complete the survey; however, these details are only being used for verification purposes.
