Dublin school cancels ‘Prayer for Palestine Day' amid ‘differing opinions'
A primary school, which cancelled a planned 'Prayer for
Palestine
Day' this week after some parents raised concerns, has said it was obliged to accommodate 'differing opinions' on the initiative.
Mount Anville Primary School, in the Kilmacud/Stillorgan area of south
Dublin
, sent a letter to parents on Monday outlining its plans.
It was intended to educate pupils on Palestinian culture in the hope of raising awareness of the 'unprecedented hardship and starvation' facing children in Gaza.
However, a cancellation letter was issued the next day by the school's board of management in order to ensure the event would not be 'misconstrued or politicised in any manner'.
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In the initial letter, school principal Angela Munro, said: 'Each class will engage in activities suitable to their age and stage to raise awareness of Palestine.'
Resources were prepared by the school's teachers with a focus on Palestinian culture, art, music, food, and geography.
Ms Munro cited the school's Sacred Heart ethos 'of social awareness that impels us to action, reaching out in compassion and solidarity with the innocent children of Gaza who are suffering unprecedented hardship and starvation'.
She said the school community would use the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 'as our guide' when praying for the children of Palestine during an assembly. She added that they would be availing of resources provided by the Ombudsman for Children's Office in Dublin.
However, on Tuesday, the board of management wrote to parents, informing them that 'the proposed Prayer for Palestine Day has raised concerns among some members of our school community'.
'In order to ensure that our intention, which was purely educational, is not misconstrued or politicised in any manner, we have decided that it will no longer go ahead.'
In a statement to The Irish Times, a spokesperson for the school said: 'We have carefully listened to all views expressed on this sensitive matter. We appreciate there are differing opinions, which we are obliged to accommodate.
'We have engaged directly with the school's community. Our primary focus remains the education, wellbeing and care of all our pupils.'
While the school shares the same name as nearby Mount Anville Secondary School, a private school which counts former president Mary Robinson as an alumnus, the two schools are distinct and not associated with one another.
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