ETB schools pay €9.8 million to chaplains, but deny doing religious instruction
The Department of Education spends €9.8 million per year on 156 Chaplains in ETB schools, which are supposed to be the State-run alternative to denominational schools, even though the ETBs claim that there is no religious instruction in the schools. The €9.8 million is paid to help Catholic and Church of ...
NCCA report avoids the question of how to deliver objective sex education
The NCCA has failed to recommend that the Education Act be amended to ensure that students get objective sex education that is not influenced by a religious school ethos. Its new report has simply described the problem of ethos, instead of addressing how to resolve it. And the Minister for ...
Catholic school guidelines on inclusion deny the rights of secularists
The Joint Managerial Body (JMB) for second level Religious schools has issued revised Guidelines for the ‘Inclusion of Other Beliefs in Catholic Secondary Schools’. These revised Guidelines undermine the rights of minorities. They are based on fear and control dressed up in the language of inclusion. The Catholic Church is ...
Time to rebalance Constitutional rights to protect religious minorities in Irish schools
In Ireland children have a Constitutional Right to not attend any religious teaching or activities. The Constitution obliges the State to respect the inalienable right of parents to ensure that the teaching of their children is in conformity with their convictions. The Constitution also guarantees that all citizens are equal ...