All faith education for a fairer, fuller school life for children is right

SOCIETY is changing at a rapid rate but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad turn of events for ‘us Irish’. News that Ukrainian students will be able to sit a Ukrainian language exam from next year is just one example of one such positive change.

When it comes to religious education and the patronage of schools, massive change is needed.

Presently a teacher can weave religion into everything from Geography (God created the world in seven days), to History, to Gaelic. The lack of fairness for everyone from pupils to teachers here is glaring. For instance, even applying for a job in a Catholic school can see you asked about your religious faith from the very off.

This was relayed by a teacher at a primary teacher union’s annual congress in Derry last week. It is not surprising then, that the INTO has been instructed by members to engage with the Catholic church for the removal of a controversial religious education qualification that is required by all teachers who wish to teach in Catholic primary schools.

At a time when the Education minister Norma Foley is struggling to get enough teachers to teach our children due to better wages and terms in many countries abroad, we need to listen to teachers and of course pupils, some of whom are interested in religion, and Catholic church teachings, but want a more varied education, with a greater emphasis on subjects they feel will lead to academic success in second and third level.

Delegates at the primary teacher union’s annual congress in Derry mandated the INTO to seek that the requirement for the so-called religious certificate be done away with. They have also instructed their union to survey members on whether they believe Catholic faith formation should take place in schools and whether primary schools should have secular or religious patrons.

Around 93pc of primary schools in Ireland are Catholic and the requirement that teachers have this certificate and qualification is seen as a barrier to employment for teachers who are not Catholic.

In a heavily supported motion, delegates also instructed the union to form a task force to look at the future of primary school patronage and to examine the results of the survey.

Speakers told the congress that Irish society has changed and that schools must too.

School patronage has been a hot topic for years now and yet very little has been done to make the change that is needed. The days of attending a school where most of the teaching staff were either nuns or brothers are well behind us. I have vivid memories of brothers who were good teachers and even more vivid memories of some who were neurotic messes.

It’s a more level playing field now, thanks to the fact that there are far more female teachers and therefore more balance in schools. School boards are also comprised of more lay people. Ireland has welcomed hundreds of thousands of people from other countries who live and work alongside us, adding to our society.

To be truly inclusive we should become the secular society we are. The means maintaining religion in our schools, organisations and in our thinking, but in a different way. A way which includes other religions, like in Educate Together schools. Passing on the positive messaging from numerous sources to instil hope.