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GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Where does this equality of access to educaion sit in the overall equality agenda? Ireland
as a state legislates for equality in a range of areas; the nine grounds detailed in the Equality
legislaion, but it appears by default to condone discriminaion in other areas. For example schools
may with impunity refuse entry on the basis of gender, religion, social class (demonstrated not
only by ability to pay but by priority being given to brothers/sisters or even sons/daughters etc.).
Schools also pracice covert discriminaion by indicaing to those they wish to exclude but can’t
openly reject that “the best school for you is the local public sector school where they can deal
with your needs”. Of course there are procedures in the Educaion Act to give rights of appeal
against arbitrary rejecion but they are virtually worthless to those most afected by this pracice.
Not alone do we allow schools efecively to select their intake in whatever way they wish;
we actually reinforce this by the allocaion of tax monies to foster this form of privilege. Schools
which engage in selecion by the charging of fees sill beneit to the extent of approximately
€100m per annum of public funds through the payment of teachers’ salaries. It is no wonder that
these schools can have a most favourable staing raio, the best of sporing faciliies, libraries
etc. and are to a large extent immune from the worst of the cutbacks in the educaion budget of
recent imes.
Regretably most of the decision makers and commentators of our country have this type
of school as their own irst-hand and only experience of school, and when they authorise cuts it
is from this level of relaive aluence . They are not obviously aware of the schools where almost
every child is a child in crisis; where unemployment in families is the norm; where a cut in the
provision of school books means a choice between embarrassment for the child at having no
books, or no adequate food for the family; where the expectaion of moivaion in the student
to their future is an alien concept – to what future are they expected to be moivated? This type
of school is the reality in far too many instances. It is not the reality of Government Ministers; of
decision makers or of many commentators; neither is it the reality of Gonzaga College.
It is at least in part because I was at Gonzaga I can step back and look at the privilege it
provided me with and all that it stands for. I can, without the accusaion of sour grapes say
that here is much that is wrong in Irish society: privilege begeing privilege: wealth begeing
wealth and the origins of the Golden Circle not being too diicult to ind. Any organisaion with
a commitment to social jusice must reject this.
Peter MacMenamin
Class of 1963
Peter MacMenamin let Gonzaga in 1963 and having obtained a B.Sc in UCD in 1967 engaged in
postgraduate research in Geneics in the University of Strathclyde for four years. He then returned to
Ireland and commenced his teaching career in the newly established Community School in Tallaght, Co
Dublin. He was involved in union issues from this ime and in 1988 was elected as President of TUI. He
has worked as a full ime oicial since the end of his term as President and in 2007 was appointed as
General Secretary of the union.
GONZAGA AT SIXTY: A WORK IN PROGRESS
Where does this equality of access to educaion sit in the overall equality agenda? Ireland
as a state legislates for equality in a range of areas; the nine grounds detailed in the Equality
legislaion, but it appears by default to condone discriminaion in other areas. For example schools
may with impunity refuse entry on the basis of gender, religion, social class (demonstrated not
only by ability to pay but by priority being given to brothers/sisters or even sons/daughters etc.).
Schools also pracice covert discriminaion by indicaing to those they wish to exclude but can’t
openly reject that “the best school for you is the local public sector school where they can deal
with your needs”. Of course there are procedures in the Educaion Act to give rights of appeal
against arbitrary rejecion but they are virtually worthless to those most afected by this pracice.
Not alone do we allow schools efecively to select their intake in whatever way they wish;
we actually reinforce this by the allocaion of tax monies to foster this form of privilege. Schools
which engage in selecion by the charging of fees sill beneit to the extent of approximately
€100m per annum of public funds through the payment of teachers’ salaries. It is no wonder that
these schools can have a most favourable staing raio, the best of sporing faciliies, libraries
etc. and are to a large extent immune from the worst of the cutbacks in the educaion budget of
recent imes.
Regretably most of the decision makers and commentators of our country have this type
of school as their own irst-hand and only experience of school, and when they authorise cuts it
is from this level of relaive aluence . They are not obviously aware of the schools where almost
every child is a child in crisis; where unemployment in families is the norm; where a cut in the
provision of school books means a choice between embarrassment for the child at having no
books, or no adequate food for the family; where the expectaion of moivaion in the student
to their future is an alien concept – to what future are they expected to be moivated? This type
of school is the reality in far too many instances. It is not the reality of Government Ministers; of
decision makers or of many commentators; neither is it the reality of Gonzaga College.
It is at least in part because I was at Gonzaga I can step back and look at the privilege it
provided me with and all that it stands for. I can, without the accusaion of sour grapes say
that here is much that is wrong in Irish society: privilege begeing privilege: wealth begeing
wealth and the origins of the Golden Circle not being too diicult to ind. Any organisaion with
a commitment to social jusice must reject this.
Peter MacMenamin
Class of 1963
Peter MacMenamin let Gonzaga in 1963 and having obtained a B.Sc in UCD in 1967 engaged in
postgraduate research in Geneics in the University of Strathclyde for four years. He then returned to
Ireland and commenced his teaching career in the newly established Community School in Tallaght, Co
Dublin. He was involved in union issues from this ime and in 1988 was elected as President of TUI. He
has worked as a full ime oicial since the end of his term as President and in 2007 was appointed as
General Secretary of the union.
