INTO delegates debate role of Catholic Church in schools

RTÉ News​

23-04-2025

Primary school teachers want a school system that is "inclusive, equitable and reflective of the diversity of our pupils", according to INTO General Secretary John Boyle.
Mr Boyle made the comments at the end of a motion debating the role of the Catholic Church in schools.
Delegates from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation turned out in force early this morning for the debate.
Speakers spoke of having to hide their non-religious identities in their schools, of children having ashes placed on their foreheads against their will and a primary school principal was among those who criticised legislation that she said was "compelling LGBTQ+ teachers to hide their true selves".
The union adopted recommendations that will see it campaign for the accelerated divestment of schools from Catholic patronage and the repeal of legislation which allows schools to discriminate against teachers and other staff on religious grounds.
The INTO will also campaign against the requirement of a religious certificate as a condition of employment in Catholic schools, which today's resolution describes as "a discriminatory barrier to employment, limiting access based on religious grounds".
The recommendations build on a motion passed by delegates last year which instructed the union to engage with the Catholic bishops for the removal of the certificate requirement.
Part of today's motion was rejected by delegates with speakers criticising its call to remove single faith formation entirely from the school day as "going too far".
"The purpose of this motion is not to attack religion but to defend the constitution and human rights of all teachers and pupils in our schools," teacher Anna Hurley from west Cork told delegates.
Delegate Alana Wilhelm said her youngest child had had ashes put on her forehead against her will at school.
"Moments of 'othering' are happening every day," she said, adding, "We cannot champion inclusion unless we challenge exclusion".
Criticising section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act which allows schools to discriminate on the basis of religion, a principal of a Catholic school in Limerick city Tracie Tobin said her school catered to children from 72 countries, with 67 languages, and 16 different religions.
"We celebrate all religions and cultures yet there are LGBTQ+ teachers in our schools who because of section 37.1 feel compelled to hide their true selves," she said.
"On the whole I was in support of most of the motion", said teacher Caroline Moore from Cavan.
"I do think sacramental preparation should be removed, that that should be something that should be done outside the school, but there should still be the choice for parents to choose to send their child to a school of their faith," she added.
The INTO conference will conclude later.
Preparation for sacraments should happen outside of classroom - teachers
The debate on the motion comes as a majority of primary school teachers, who responded to a survey, believe families or parishes should be responsible for preparing children for the sacraments of communion and confirmation.
A survey of teachers carried out by the INTO has found just 4% feel the responsibility should lie with schools.
The same survey found that two-thirds of respondents believe primary schools should be secular as opposed to having religious patrons.
1,049 teachers responded to a detailed questionnaire that was sent by the union to a random sample of 5,000 members who are representative of the union as a whole in terms of age, gender, urban or rural and other factors.
Publishing the findings, the INTO said the survey "provides a valid dataset for analysing the views and opinions of INTO members regarding religious education and school patronage".
The survey findings are supported by recommendations from a taskforce that were endorsed in their entirety by INTO delegates at their annual congress in Galway yesterday.
The taskforce on the future of school patronage was established at the request of delegates at last year's gathering.
In the survey, 57% of respondents said religious instruction should not take place in primary schools.
This rose to two-thirds among teachers under the age of 44.
The survey reveals a preference consistent across all age groups for schools to be run by secular patrons, with 63% favouring this option.
Currently, the vast majority of primary schools are run by the churches, with the Catholic Church in charge of nine out of ten primary schools in the State.
At last year's INTO congress, members mandated the union to conduct this research and to establish the taskforce.
In its recommendations the taskforce calls for an acceleration of the school divestment process; for the repeal of legislation that allows for teachers to be discriminated against on the basis of their religious or non religious beliefs; and for the union to engage with the Catholic bishops to seek "a more flexible approach" to the requirement for a religious certificate to teach in Catholic schools.
It also calls for the removal of sacramental preparation from the core school day.
"Repealing this legislation, and the removal of sacramental preparation from schools are two of the most pressing issues for teachers and they are the most immediately achievable," said Anna Hurley, a West Cork teacher, INTO delegate, and member of the taskforce.
"They can be done at no cost and they will help ensure an inclusive learning and teaching environment for all pupils and teachers of all faith backgrounds and none," she said.
Teaching religion survey
33% of survey respondents said they taught religion willingly.
20% said they would prefer if they did not have to teach religion, and an additional 19% said they would be happy to teach a broad religious programme but would prefer not to instruct in only one particular faith.
An overwhelming majority of respondents (87%) indicated there are pupils attending their denominational schools who are not of the faith of the school, and almost the same level (83%) agreed that children in all schools should be taught about other religions.
The survey findings and the fact that delegates adopted the recommendations of the taskforce together indicate a strong desire for modernisation and change among the primary teacher workforce.