Have Church schools lost their way?

On five consecutive afternoons between May 5 and 9, boys who finished their elementary classes were sitting for the common entrance examination to fill the vacant places at secondary schools owned by the Church.

A few weeks earlier, parents had thronged the Curias of Malta and Gozo to enrol their children in one of the local Church schools, which are obviously still very popular.

They feel satisfied or even privileged if they manage to secure a place for their child at such a school. Some also think that a Church school is the best available and accept this as the gospel truth. In other words, no doubt is ever entertained about the capacity of such schools to carry out to the full their formative mission.

However, can we set our minds at rest so far as the Church schools are concerned or should we admit that they are not as flawless as some of us think?

To my mind, much can be said in their favour, but there is still room for some improvement and, at least, some degree of criticism is warranted.

First - and this may come as a surprise to some - it is important to draw a distinction between Catholic schools and Church schools. By Church schools, I mean those for which the Church authorities are responsible, directly or indirectly. On the other hand, according to Vatican II, "the special function of the Catholic school is to develop in the school community an atmosphere animated by a spirit of liberty and charity based on the gospel. It enables young people, while developing their own personality, to grow at the same time in that new life which has been given them in baptism".

In recent decades, Church schools have undergone profound changes and some of these have undoubtedly been very beneficial. For example, schools are now run on professional lines and they can no longer operate merely as voluntary organisations or as apostolic achievements. A great deal of training is required these days to become a member of the teaching profession. As a result academic standards are undeniably high.

However, even where a fully Catholic system is in operation, and perhaps to an extent because of it, many parents seem to have ceded much of their parental responsibility to the professional teacher and leave practically all instruction, sacred and profane, to the school.

And yet the hard fact is that religious vocations are dwindling, meaning that there are fewer and fewer nuns, brothers and priests teaching at Church schools, while the number of lay teachers is on the increase.

The negative effects of this process are quite easily noticeable; to begin with, the whole task of schooling has become far more expensive than previous years. Besides, in some quarters at least, religious education has become the Cinderella among other school activities. Before, the schools run by brothers and nuns proved to be a seed bed of religious vocations and the dearth of religious vocations of which we complain so often may have as one of its causes this decline in teachers with such a background. It is a vicious circle.

There is also, in some quarters, too much emphasis on academic subjects and not enough priority is given to the arts and sport, which are so important to a child's holistic development as an individual. This deficiency is compounded by the pressures imposed on children to succeed at a very early age by society and, in particular, their parents. This approach is driving some of our children to despair. Surely this is not what we want.

The Vatican II document also mentions duties that are incumbent on Catholic parents, such as the obligation to insist that their children enjoy balanced progress in their Christian formation, the duty to entrust their children to Catholic schools wherever possible, and to support and cooperate with these schools to their best of their ability.

Parents, quite rightly, expect the Catholic school to afford a high standard of secular academic training, but they should not surrender their right as Catholic parents to insist that their children's school also provides positive religious education. Education is not just a question of scoring high marks in examinations. Special care should also be given to the "education in the faith" and to the training for a lifestyle manifesting the Gospel (Christian) witness, not excluding apostolic activity.

Some may remark that this is all "a mere utopia"! But it is my firm belief that it still constitutes the raison d'être of Church schooling and that it is plainly attainable if a combined effort on the part of parents, teachers and other educators is forthcoming. At the moment there is no doubt that it is lacking.