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RTÉ News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
INTO delegates debate role of Catholic Church in schools
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.
Belfast Telegraph
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Government pressed as survey shows teachers want schools to be more secular
The survey, issued by Civica to members of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), found that just 4% of teachers think preparing students for sacraments should be the responsibility of primary schools. The research – carried out on behalf of the largest teachers' union on the island, representing 45,000 primary school teachers in the Republic – indicated that 47% believe the family should take responsibility, while 30% said it should be the parish. The 34-question survey collected data online from 1,049 respondents from January 8 to 17. The vast majority said they taught in Catholic schools (88%), with 5% in Educate Together and 4% in Church of Ireland schools. A large majority said children in all schools should be taught about other religions (83%), with just 9% saying they should not. And 63% said primary school education should have secular patrons, while 37% said they should be religious. A slight majority (57%) said faith formation should not take place in schools, while 43% said it should. Asked whether religion should be taught in schools by the class teacher, 46% said no and 39% said yes. On Wednesday, INTO members accepted recommendations by a union taskforce to accelerate the divestment of schools, to call for the collection of national data on parental and community preferences; and challenge the requirement for a religious certificate as a condition of employment in denominational schools. 'The findings from our survey and the comprehensive work of our taskforce reflect a concern among teachers about the mismatch between modern Irish society and the structures governing our primary schools,' INTO general secretary John Boyle said. 'INTO members want a school system that is inclusive, equitable and reflective of the diversity of our pupils.' The Social Democrats and People Before Profit called for the findings of the survey to be acted on by the Government. Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins said the survey confirms 'widespread support among primary school teachers for a reduced role of religion in our classrooms'. 'The results reflect a growing consensus in Irish society that our education system must evolve to reflect the diversity of modern Ireland,' the party's education spokeswoman said. 'It is therefore not surprising that the INTO survey found that most primary teachers want secular patrons for schools and believe faith formation should no longer take place in the classroom.' Ms Cummins said the last programme for government committed to delivering 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030, but this was 'highly unlikely' to be achieved. She also expressed concern that a proposal for a citizens' assembly on education appears to have been 'watered down' to a national convention on education. Then-taoiseach Simon Harris said in July that the Government had 'not yet' considered the question of establishing a citizens' assembly on education. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said Ireland's education system remains 'mired in the Dark Ages'. 'Clearly Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are afraid the answers they would get from 100 ordinary people would force them to challenge the Catholic Church, something they remain determined to avoid,' he said. Mr Murphy said he would introduce a bill in the next Dail term that would repeal laws that allow for teachers to be discriminated against on the basis of their religious or secular beliefs. 'The Catholic Church runs nine out of 10 primary schools in this state. This means that non-Catholic primary school teachers are discriminated against in job applications, forced to obtain qualifications in teaching a religion they don't believe in, and then are forced to teach that religion. 'They are also exposed to an ever-present risk of discrimination, and even of losing their jobs, because of their beliefs. 'It is ludicrous that in this day and age, teachers can still be discriminated against because of their religious beliefs.' The survey was published to coincide with the INTO annual conference being held this week in Galway.
Irish Examiner
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Requiring primary teachers to obtain Catholic certificate in religious studies 'discriminatory'
The country's largest teachers' union is to acknowledge requiring teachers to obtain the Catholic certificate in religious studies is a 'discriminatory' employment barrier. However, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) has stopped short of working towards removing single-faith religious education from the school day, beginning with the requirement for teachers to prepare children for the Catholic sacraments. It follows a motion put to delegates at the union's annual congress in Galway on Wednesday. Delegates passed a number of the proposals put to the floor but failed to gain a general consensus on several sections of the motion. This included acknowledging the focus on inclusivity and wellbeing were 'ineffective', while the majority of primary schools remain under religious control. A section of the motion that instructed the union's officials to begin a campaign with the Department of Education to remove single-faith religious education from the school day, as well as urge a ban on religious teaching qualifications for State-funded schools also failed to pass. It comes as the INTO published research that found many teachers have conflicting views on the patronage of Irish primary schools. Despite Government commitments to increasing diversity, 88.3% of primary schools remain under Catholic patronage, while less than 6% have a multi-denominational ethos. The study saw more than 1,000 primary school teachers asked their views on religion in schools. When asked if "faith formation" should take place in primary schools, a majority (57%) said it should not. Faith formation includes developing a child's understanding of and with the Catholic faith and includes preparation for the sacraments as well as the Catholic ethos permeating the whole school day. Just 4% of the teachers surveyed thought preparing children for the sacraments should be a school's responsibility, compared to 47% who believe the family should be responsible. A further 30% said it should be a parish's responsibility, and 18% said it should be both parents and parish. The study also found 'wide variation' in the level of parental involvement with preparing children for the sacraments. The findings from the survey, as well as the work of a taskforce set up to examine the issue, show "a concern among teachers about the mismatch between modern Irish society and the structures governing our primary schools", INTO general secretary John Boyle said. "INTO members want a school system that is inclusive, equitable and reflective of the diversity of our pupils. Today's resolution and recommendations will guide the work of the union in the coming years.' Read More Most teachers think schools should not prepare pupils for church sacraments, survey finds
Irish Examiner
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Stop setting education budget 'artificially low', INTO warns Government
Stop setting the budget for education 'artificially low' then acting surprised when the figures don't add up, the Government has been warned. The message was delivered to Helen McEntee after she made her first address as education minister to the almost 1,000 delegates attending the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) annual congress. The warning came following reports that the department of education has been told to curb potential overspending in some areas before committing to lowering primary classes even further. 'There will always be budget overruns when the percentage of the national budget set aside for education is lower than what is needed to run our schools properly,' said INTO general secretary John Boyle. 'Stop setting the budget artificially low and then acting surprised when the figures don't add up. The government has committed to delivering class size reductions and this union expects this will be delivered, starting in the coming budget. Falling enrolments present the best opportunity in decades to deliver smaller classes at no additional cost, according to Mr Boyle. Ms McEntee told reporters class sizes are "the lowest they've ever been, but there's a very clear commitment to reduce it even further". An occupational injury leave scheme for teachers has been finalised, the minister also confirmed, which she expects to publish the first week in May. Following a motion held in private session and passed unanimously, the INTO is now to campaign for comprehensive reform of the current assault leave scheme for teachers. Read More ASTI members to be balloted on industrial action over Leaving Cert reform talks
Irish Examiner
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
INTO congress endorses Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign in support of Palestinian people
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) has endorsed the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people while adapting a resolution that 'utterly condemns the ongoing genocide in Gaza'. The motion debated at the primary school teachers' union annual congress received strong support from delegates in attendance, with many highlighting the 'catastrophic impact' of attacks on Palestinians, the destruction of schools and the targeting of educators. Attendees to the annual trade union congress in Galway were asked to support the 'morally urgent motion' in light of the 'deliberate and systematic' destruction in the West Bank. Teachers were asked to bring the message back to schools, by 'standing in solidarity' with children in Palestine by supporting the BDS movement and becoming an 'apartheid-free zone' by delegates who spoke in favour. 'Systematic destruction' INTO general secretary John Boyle said: 'As an education union, we are horrified by the systematic destruction of the Palestinian education system.' Schools must never be military targets, and educators must never be placed in harm's way. Education is a human right that must be protected, even in times of conflict The INTO said it welcomed recent engagement between the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. 'The union has called on the Irish Government and the European Union to take immediate action, including the implementation of sanctions and the suspension of bilateral agreements with Israel in response to its continued breaches of international law.' The resolution endorsed by delegates endorses: The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement as a vital instrument in the global campaign against apartheid in Palestine; The ICTU's call for the immediate enactment of the Occupied Territories Bill; And the mobilisation of EU funding to support the rebuilding of the Palestinian education system under Palestinian control.
