A new forum is to be set up to look at issues concerning school patronage as part of Ireland's education system.

Minister for education Ruairi Quinn revealed at the Annual Conference of Catholic Primary School Management Association that the group will look at ways the influence of the Catholic Church on schools can be reduced.

He said the forum would address the managers of Catholic primary schools in the nation over the next nine months.

This programme has been praised by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), which said it welcomes the new minister's initiative.

INTO has been calling for a forum of this kind for a long time, wishing to make education establishments in the country more diverse.

Mr Quinn stated: "We have to provide for an array of choice in our education system and ensure that different forms of patronage reflect the diversity of our modern society and the choices of parents."

Written by Donal Walsh 

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