We ask a lot from our teachers and educators. Every time an issue of public concern arises, the catch-cry is “x should be taught in schools” – where x is everything from digital literacy to driving skills, computer coding to empathy. The voice of Catholic Church in Irish education has added a further item to the list: purpose.

In a submission to the Government’s Convention on Education, which is due to hold its first meeting later this month, the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP) quotes Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky when he wrote “the mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for”.

“Education worthy of the name should help students to discover that purpose, to form conscience, and to learn the disciplines of friendship, study and service,” says the partnership, which was set up by Ireland’s Catholic bishops to represent the church’s interests across primary, post-primary, third-level and further education.

The church’s concern over a “loss of meaning” is shared by many in Ireland and internationally. The worry is not just that we have lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong but that this moral vacuum is leaving us in a state of hopelessness and despair.

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