The debate around single-gender schools has kicked off again, with some arguing that they can contribute to negative behaviours later in life.
Opposing that argument is Barbara Ennis, Principal of Alexandra College, who said she firmly believes these schools should be protected.
“Most single-sex schools are performing excellently well,” she insists, urging that they “be left alone to do their job.”
This comes in the wake of Higher Education Minister, Patrick O’Donovan, recently calling to phase out single-sex schools in favour of a co-educational model.
O’Donovan suggested that society could benefit from this shift, but Ennis remains unconvinced.
During an interview on Newstalk Breakfast, she voiced her concerns to the Minister’s stance.
“I don’t agree with any kind of compulsion of any description because it just makes life much more difficult,” Ennis said.
She went on to challenge the notion that schools should be given the responsibility of solving societal problems.
“His rationale, while it sounds very noble, is looking to schools to cure the ills of society—I don’t agree with him,” she continued.
Ennis went on to say that forcing single-sex schools to transition to mixed-gender models would be both unnecessary and disruptive for students.
“I don’t think single-sex schools should be compulsorily phased out. They have already been phased out by the Government for a good few years now by not supporting the setting up of any single-sex schools,” she added.
Ennis also dismissed the idea that students from single-sex schools struggle to interact with the opposite gender in social situations.
“How many people come into college at the age of 18 or 19, never having met someone of the opposite gender before?” she questioned.
“It can be different for boys, but I’ll always advocate for girls,” she said, pointing to the unique benefits that single-sex education can provide.
Ennis expressed deep reservations about this change, describing it as “interfering with natural evolution.”
She suggested that this could make it increasingly difficult for parents who value single-sex education to find suitable schools for their children.
“If you’re a parent who believes in single-sex education, I think it’s a shame because there are lots of very positive things to it,” she reflected.
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