A leading representative of Catholic primary schools in Ireland has accused politicians of hypocrisy for their criticisms of Church-run schools.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Fr Tom Deenihan of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) said that politicians routinely attack Catholic schools at a national level, but rarely in their own constituencies because they are aware of the good such schools do.

Stating that Catholic schools are “becoming tired of bearing the brunt of criticism by politicians who target such schools so regularly that one could be forgiven for thinking that there was no other issue in Irish society, be it economical, health, justice or welfare”, Fr Deenihan added: “We must educate our politicians as to the contribution that our Catholic schools are making to their constituencies and, above all, we must make it clear that broad, sweeping statements about Catholic schools have local implications.”

Fr Deenihan went on to accuse successive governments of reneging on a 1997 deal between Church and State that was designed to guarantee the ethos of faith schools in return for the Church having fewer representatives on school Boards of Management. He pointed out that, while the Church moved to meet its commitments under the terms of the ‘Deed of Variation’ and had given up spaces on Boards of Management, “some 19 years after the original undertaking…the Deed is still not signed”.