Education and Training Boards Ireland has expresssed concern at the omission from the Programme for Government of a target set by the last government to increase the number of multi-denominational primary schools here.
The previous Programme for Government committed to "achieve the target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030, to improve parental choice".
However, that commitment is absent from the new document.
The country's Education and Training Boards run multi-denominational Community National Schools and this model was the one favoured to take over the patronage of schools that might have switched from Catholic to multidenominational patronage under state reconfiguration plans.
"We are disappointed that the draft Programme for Government is no longer committed to having 400 multi-denominational schools by 2030 and has set no clear targets," said ETBI Director of Schools Dr Séamus Conboy.
Dr Conboy said however that the ETBs welcomed the Programme for Government's commitment to expanding the choice available to parents in terms of school ethos.
The Programme for Government commits to "seek to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both non-denominational and faith-based education".
"ETBI recently carried out research on school patronage and it is clear that the appetite for multi-denominational primary schools right across the country is significant," Dr Conboy said.
There has been some head-scratching at the use of the word "non-denominational" in the programme's sentence on school patronage, with people in the sector pointing out that there is no such thing as non-denominational primary schools here.
The primary school system is comprised of denominational primary schools which are run by religious denominations.
They account for 95% of primary schools here and the vast majority of them are Catholic.
Just under 5% of primary schools here - 154 in total - are categorised as 'multi-denominational' because they teach about all religions as opposed to instructing in just one.
But Department of Education databases list no school as ‘non-denominational’.
The Programme for Government is also silent on a long-awaited survey of parents regarding their wishes on school ethos which has been drawn up by the Department of Education and is ready to be rolled out.
First announced in September 2023 by Secretary General at the Department of Education Bernie McNally, the survey was initially limited to capturing the private views of parents with regard to school ethos, but last June Minister for Education Norma Foley said its scope would be extended to include questions on single sex and co-education as well as preferences around English or Irish medium schooling.
She said a "national conversation" was needed on the issue of school ethos.
"We assume these surveys will go ahead, given that they have been announced twice by the minister and spoken about by the Secretary General," Emer Nowlan of multi-denominational patron body Educate-Together told RTÉ News.
Both main providers of multi-denominational primary education here - Educate Together and the ETBs - are keen for the surveys to now go ahead.
"There are large areas of the country with no multi-denominational schools and no plans for any," Emer Nowlan said.
"Parents in those areas have a right for their voices to be heard. We think it is really important to capture exactly where the demand is and to give pathways for change."
