School Principals can’t make policy on not attending religious instruction
We have recently sent the following letter to the Oireachtas Education Committee. Letter from Atheist Ireland to Oireachtas Education Committee Can you please add this to the file of information from Atheist Ireland that the Committee is considering. "Section 62-7(n) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. A ruling ...
Schools ignore obligations under Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights
The Court of Appeal found that, when it interprets the obligations of a Board of Management under the Education Act 1998, it must have regard to the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights. Probably no Board of Management in the country is even aware what obligations they have ...
Schools cannot use Education Act to impose spiritual values on students, says Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal in the Burke case has confirmed that schools and teachers cannot impose the values/ethos of the school on students, if those values are against the conscience of their parents. Schools and Patron bodies believe that under Section 9 (d) of the Education Act they are legally ...
The Oireachtas, not the Government, must regulate the Constitutional right to not attend religious instruction
The oireachtas, not the Government or the Department of Education or schools, is responsible for regulating the Constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools. That is why statutory guidelines are needed, passed by the Oireachtas, not just Government policies, or circular letters from the Department, or abdication of ...
New primary curriculum framework does not address rights of nonreligious families
There is an Article in the Irish Times today “Primary schools to teach foreign languages as religion time cut under new proposals” by Carl O'Brien regarding a new Framework for the Primary school curriculum. It is to be published in 2023 by Minister Norma Foley. As usual this document addresses ...
Parents, not church or state, have the right to provide religious and moral education
The Catholic Bishops wrote to the Dept of Education in 2018, in relation to Circular Letter 0013/2018 issued by the Department of Education. This Circular obliged ETB schools to give students another subject if they exercised their right to not attend religious instruction. It recognised that schools should offer students ...
The State, not school boards, should directly protect the rights of minorities in schools
The term ethos/characteristic spirit is not defined in the Education Act 1998. It can and does mean different things to different Patron bodies, schools and teachers. The term 'ethos' is connected with the choice of parents in relation to the education of their children. Because the majority of parents of ...
Atheist Ireland meeting with Department of Education and NCCA May 2022
Atheist Ireland met with Department of Education and NCCA on 6 May 2022 to discuss the misuse of public funds with regard to the teaching of religion in Irish schools. This is the presentation that we made to that meeting. [pdf-embedder url="https://teachdontpreach.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AI-Dept-Ed-Mtg-Slides.pdf" title="AI Dept Ed Mtg Slides"]
The Student and Parent Charter Bill must protect the right to not attend religious instruction
Atheist Ireland has sent the following Letter and Briefing Document for TDs and Senators regarding the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 and the Constitutional right to ‘not attend’ religious instruction in publicly-funded schools Dear TD/Senator, The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 is making its way through ...
Education Minister cannot rely on NCCA to deliver objective sex education – the law must change
In the Dail yesterday Donnchadh O’Laoghaire from Sinn Fein asked the Minister for Education about sex education in schools. You can view and read the full exchange here. In her response the Minister acknowledged that RSE was an important right for students. She also said that: “The Department of Education ...