The State is completely failing non-Catholic families
Look around you this month and you may see entire classes of young schoolchildren dressed in little suits and white dresses. It is a familiar sight around Ireland at this time of year.
Who could begrudge these kids their day in the sun? Haven't they spent months preparing for their big day? Haven't their parents also dressed up for the occasion, and aren't they beaming with pride? Isn't First Holy Communion just an Irish tradition?
Freedom of religion is a human right but herein lies a peculiar irony. Many parents getting ready for their child's communion give little thought to the Eucharist. They see the day merely as a cultural milestone. But by having their child take part they are, in effect, practising religion – even if they are only dimly conscious of doing so.
It is precisely those families who avoid this rite altogether that are unable to overlook its religious significance. Under Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution, every child in Ireland has a clearly enshrined right not to attend religious instruction. Attempting to exercise this right comes at a cost, however.
Non-religious and minority faith families are confronted with daily reminders that they fall outside the norm.
Approximately 95% of Ireland's primary schools are patronised by religious bodies. Over 88% are run by the Catholic Church. It is a strange way to run an education system. Most schools treat faith formation and sacramental preparation as an intrinsic part of the daily curriculum, often paying scant regard to the wishes and lawful preferences of those holding different beliefs.
'Opting out' can be an alienating and upsetting experience for many children, who invariably find themselves treated differently from their classmates. It is also completely ineffective as they absorb the lessons and prayers regardless. Religion is woven so closely into the school day that parents often choose to keep their children at home, particularly as sacramental preparation ramps up.
If you apply for a job, you will not be asked about your beliefs at interview. If you get married, you can choose the ceremony you prefer, whether religious or non-religious. If you have children, you can freely decide whether you want to baptise them.
A few years later, however, you will leave these freedoms at the school gate. The protections that we otherwise take for granted are systematically denied us when our children start school.
Our education system is increasingly disconnected from Irish society. Catholicism has fallen as a percentage of the population in every census since the 1960s. The last 40 years have seen the legalisation of contraception, divorce, same-sex marriage and abortion.
Over 40% of babies are now born outside wedlock. Just 31% of marriages were celebrated in a Catholic church in 2024, while 40% were non-religious.
It's an odd situation, and teachers are finally beginning to make their voices heard. Following a motion passed at Congress in 2024, the INTO undertook a representative national survey of teachers on school patronage, the teaching of religion, and sacramental preparation.
The results, which have just been released, were unsurprising: Most teachers do not believe that faith formation should take place in primary schools, most do not teach religion willingly, and most believe that our schools should have secular patrons.
When it comes to communions and confirmations, the INTO's taskforce findings were particularly stark. 77% of teachers believe that responsibility for sacramental preparation should rest with the family or the parish, 18% believe that responsibility should rest with the family, parish, and school, and only 4% believe that responsibility should rest with schools alone.
The INTO is now explicitly calling for the repeal of Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act, which legalises discrimination against teachers on religious grounds and allows schools to insist on staff holding a Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies to secure a permanent contract.
Formed in 2015, Education Equality is a voluntary human rights advocacy group that campaigns for equality for all children in our schools, regardless of their religion or belief background. In 2016, we met former minister for education Richard Bruton.
In 2018, the Education (Admission to Schools) Act largely outlawed the use of religion as an admissions criterion. In October 2024, we met the previous minister for education, Norma Foley. Our new Education Equality Ireland Instagram account has gained huge traction.
Slow pace of reform
Yet even as our movement grows, so does the litany of Government failures to respond meaningfully to this issue.
The school divestment process has made negligible progress since it emerged from the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector in 2012. Government commitments to a target of reaching 400 multidenominational schools by 2030 were quietly dropped from the programme for government in January.
In 2020, the previous government announced plans to hold a citizens' assembly on the future of education. Predictably, it never took place and now appears to have been abandoned.
In September 2023, the Department of Education announced its intention to undertake a national parental survey on school patronage. As reported by RTÉ at the time, Secretary General Bernie McNally said that parents would complete the survey "in the privacy of their own homes", adding that they would have access to "accurate" information in advance.
David Graham: 'Non-religious and minority faith families are confronted with daily reminders that they fall outside the norm.'
Subsequent commitments indicated that the survey would take place during the 2024-2025 academic year. Parents are still waiting.
Even recent, modest legislative provisions have proven ineffective. Section 62(7)(n) of the 2018 admissions legislation includes a specific requirement that school enrolment policies must include details of the school's arrangements for any students who do not wish to attend religious instruction.
Most schools ignore this legislation, instead directing parents to arrange a meeting with the principal.
The new minister for education Helen McEntee has now announced that she would establish a national convention on education "to hear and to understand people's thoughts, hopes and aspiration for the education system of the future". The convention is unlikely to happen for some time, and its terms of reference remain unclear.
Opt in rather than opt out?
So, what should be done? Education Equality believes that we need to move religious instruction outside the school day. Instead of making families opt out, we should ask them if they want to opt in.
It's a simple, cost-effective solution that would make faith formation more meaningful for those attending, while upholding the rights of those who do not share these beliefs.
So no, this is not about begrudgery or denying Irish schoolchildren their day in the sun. It's about equality, inclusion and respect for human rights.
And it's about removing systemic discrimination from our education system for children and teachers alike.
Ireland has changed. Our schools must too.
David Graham is Communications Officer with Education Equality
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