11 Plus Exams Forum

Seems very odd to me that Bishop Donal McKeown, and NICCE, want to abolish academic selection in the Catholic grammar schools. They seem to believe (which is not a tenet of the Catholic faith) that selection by academic ability is morally unjustifiable. But they are quite happy that selection on grounds of religious affiliation, rather than on grounds of academic ability, is morally justifiable.

I'd have thought the two positions are morally identical. Either one is happy with selection per se, or one is not.

Interesting that the bishops in England & Wales don't have the same moral objection to selection by ability in education. Why is NI morally different?

It is the same in Berkshire where there is a propoals to combine St Bernard's Catholic Grammar with St Joseph's Catholic comprehensive.
I don't think the church is morally against selection, it just cannot provide funding for two schools in one area.

LFH

The position in Berkshire does seem simply to be about money, with St Bernard's being a victim of the government's refusal to provide "Building Schools for the Future" cash to grammar schools - though this is not a problem for other LEA's so clearly politics must be involved somewhere. (I wonder whether the cash will be forthcoming now anyway, given the mess we're in).
What I don't like about the NI arrangements is that it seems to be confusing religious and secular values in education in what seems a very confused way. I am worried that the moral philosophical thinking by the religious authorities making this decision is influenced by matters other than Catholic teaching; and I would like to know why the Church authorities have decided as they have. Is it, for example, political pressure to support Catholic NI politicians?