Which school should I send my children to?

The Church encourages Catholic parents to enrol their children in Catholic schools, but for many that is not always the most viable option. CLAIRE MATHIESON spoke to two sets of parents about how to make this important decision.

The decision where to send our children to school is one of the most important we will make as parents. Many Catholic parents find that sending their children to a Catholic school is not a viable option.

Choosing a school for one’s children is one of the most difficult choices a parent will make. One has to consider the school’s reputation, the school’s facilities, extra-mural activities, class size, location and the all important tuition cost.

The conundrum is extended for Catholic parents when the issue of faith is added to the list of considerations. Faced with a choice between secular schools and Catholic schools, questions of access becomes a consideration.

For Natacha and Oliver Latouf of St John Fisher parish in Lynwood, Pretoria, sending their daughter to a Catholic school was of high importance.

“The school sets a good standard. With high pass rates and a great curriculum, it seemed like a good option. And when we compared the Catholic school with others, you could see the difference in the way the teachers interact with their children,” Mrs Latouf said, explaining the decision to send her daughter to a Catholic school.

The couple’s friends, Carlos and Natalie Camara of Maria Regina & Santa Maria Dos Portugueses parish, also in the archdiocese of Pretoria, are currently weighing up the pros and cons of sending their child to a Catholic school.

“When looking at schools, it’s not only the pass rate we’re interested in. We want to know how many went to university. Many matriculants can’t get jobs after school,” said Mr Camara.

Although their child is not yet of school-going age, the Camaras said they have to consider the whole picture—not just current circumstances but what education the child might receive in 12 years time.

Mr and Mrs Camara are keen to send their child to a Catholic school, but the cost of that is not just financial when the institution is relatively far away.

Mrs Latouf agreed that the cost is distance, but in her case, the school was not too far away.

“The Catholic school environment was important to us. We were brought up Catholic and we want to ensure our child gets a similar upbringing. She attends catechism at school and she is exposed to Catholic traditions,” said Mrs Latouf.

The Camaras live even further from the school the Latouf’s child attends. Mr Camara voiced concerns about sending their children to a school multiple suburbs away. “We want our children to be close enough to us in case of emergencies, and we also want to give them the best possible education.”

Relying on school buses, or dealing with traffic on a daily basis is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle the Camaras felt. The cost of distance and time, over and above the financial expense, was too dear.

In addition, some parents feel that sending a child outside of their own community would result in decreased after-school interaction on account of the impracticality of distance and the time it would take to travel between home and the school’s location.

“We’ve looked at other Christian schools,” said Mrs Camara. With local private Christian schools in their immediate vicinity, the opportunity for involvement both in the community and in the school would be easily available.

“But would these schools understand and respect the values we are teaching our children. Are they open to Catholics?”

Many Catholic parents must weigh up these questions.

Mrs Camara said as parents, they are committed to giving their child the best education they can afford in a good environment. If circumstances exclude the option of a Catholic school, she acknowledges that as parents, they will have to take on a greater role in passing on the Catholic faith in conjunction with catechism classes at their parish.

“No matter where our child goes, we plan to teach our child these Catholic values,” Mrs Camara said, adding that a child could attend any school and “still live out those values”.

Contact Catholic Institute of Education on 011 433 1888 for Catholic schools in your area.