Irish Times – Trinity accused of acting against Protestant applicants. “Now we have a ban on Church of Ireland people seeking to enter Trinity as primary teachers.” Adrian Oughton told the general synod in Armagh.
Presenting a report by the church’s board of education, Adrian Oughton said that the loss of so many schools would hasten the assimilation of Church of Ireland members into the local community. “
“The word I used was ‘assimilation’ and not ‘integration’. Our people are very much integrated into their communities, but they do not wish to be assimilated.”
He also lamented the lack of Church of Ireland education at second level. Of the 26 counties in the Republic, he said only 13 had a Protestant second-level school. Of the 26 second-level schools, 19 charged fees.
“We cannot afford a further reduction, but many of our families cannot afford fees either and there is no basis for the statement that in tuition-free education, the maintenance of quality teaching could be a problem.”
Personal fears
Archbishop of Dublin Dr Michael Jackson told a synod press conference on Thursday of his personal fears that no school could survive without at least two teachers.
The synod also heard that Church of Ireland College of Education in Dublin was effectively prevented from being taken into the Trinity College centre.
“Trinity by its actions in effect refused to accept as undergraduates Protestant young men and women who wish to be primary teachers,” Mr Oughton said.
“Now we have a ban on Church of Ireland people seeking to enter Trinity as primary teachers.”
He said that Dublin City University was willing to accept “our intake and our ethos”.
“Traditions die hard, but a tradition is something that someone once started and that does not mean that it cannot be changed,” he said.
“Better to be cut free from that tradition and seek new and more promising roads than to be emasculated.”