Catholic education of school-age children - electronic version ISBN 978-0-473-27170-1

The Catholic Education of School-Age Childrenwhich participate. The participation of young people in large numbers would change theparishes, assuming other age groups were open to that change and willing to give youngpeople lead roles in the parish. Young people have many gifts and perspectives which cancontribute to parish renewal and help their parishes to be more truly an experience ofChristian community. One of the most important things a Catholic school can do in theinterests of the common good is to encourage young people to become a significant force, innumbers, in the life of the parishes the school serves.78. The common good has been highlighted in the Catholic education system in recent yearsas a result of the approach taken to financing Catholic schools. However the commitmentof Catholic schools to the common good extends (and has always extended) far beyondmatters of financing. The schools collectively serve the Catholic community of theirdioceses and the Church in New Zealand. They share in the same mission, each carrying outthat mission in a particular location. Each school must strive to provide the best possibleeducation for its students, so that it is the natural choice for parents who live in that location.If a school is perceived as failing the community begins to fracture as parents send theirchildren – often long distances – to other schools. When the people of the area support theirschool it strengthens not just the school community, but the whole ecclesial community ofthe area.79. Cooperation, not competition, should characterise the relationships between neighbouringCatholic schools, with the good of all being paramount. If one school is attracting studentsfrom outside its area in numbers, it potentially weakens the surrounding schools. In suchcircumstances an enrolment scheme is not just a device to manage numbers but a means ofsupporting neighbouring schools, an act which fosters the common good.80. In a situation where a Catholic school is losing its local students to another Catholic school,the appropriate authorities must ensure that the school is supported in addressing the issuesit faces in retaining its local students. Student movement away from the local area to attendschool can be both a cause and a consequence of social polarisation and ethnic segregation.As poorer families do not have the resources to send their children anywhere other than theclosest school, it is of vital importance that Catholic schools serving poorer communitiesare of the highest standard educationally and that they find ways of compensating for thepoverty of their families, if necessary, with the help of other Catholic schools or communities.81. If a Catholic school deteriorates or its facilities become outmoded it may lose its localstudents to other schools, both Catholic and non-Catholic. It is particularly importantthat the schools in lower socio-economic areas are well-maintained and have modernfacilities, so that the Church stands in visible solidarity with its poorer members and theircommunities. The power which subsidiarity and parental choice of schools conferred underTomorrow’s Schools easily leads to competition between schools for students. This may bepotentially destructive for some schools, particularly those serving lower socio-economic orparticular ethnic groups.18