Minister to rebuke Church over faith exclusion classes

The slowness of the Catholic Church to offer examples of how schools can avoid children of different or no faiths being excluded during religion class will be criticised by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn in a speech today to primary teachers.

Although he acknowledges the need to avoid being over-prescriptive while work continues on a Government policy white paper on making schools more inclusive, the minister will tell the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation annual congress it would be useful for suggestions to be aired on the issue.

He praises the good work of teachers in making sure parents who want their children to opt out of religious education during faith-specific classes in denominational schools have that right respected, which he says is evidence of what we are regularly told about the inclusiveness of those institutions — which make up around 95% of the country’s 3,200-plus primary schools.

“However, we need clearly demonstrated examples of genuinely inclusive schools, so that other schools can learn what works for them,” Mr Quinn will tell INTO delegates.

“It is regrettable that, two years after the publication of the forum report, we have yet to see such exemplars furnished by the Catholic Church — the main patron of primary schools in this country.

“That is disappointing, but I remain convinced of the importance of such exemplars, to help guide the approach in all of our schools.”

Mr Quinn is referring to the 2012 report of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, which made suggestions of how schools might cater for pupils whose parents do not want them taught in the faith of the school.

Some of the flexible timetabling examples, he suggests, include allowing religion classes to be held at different times for different class groups. This, says the minister, would allow students opting out of faith formation to participate in another class, and could work better in larger schools.

“Another option in some cases would be to have faith formation at the start or end of a school day. Issues would still remain around school transport, supervision of children who are not participating, and so on,” he says.

However, he will also repeat his insistence that he fully supports and requires schools to teach children about all religions and beliefs. His suggestions today are among many made to the forum at hearings in 2011, and he will welcome weekend suggestions by Dublin’s Catholic archbishop Diarmuid Martin for more robust collaboration between the Church and Mr Quinn’s department.

However, the minister’s use of his speech to the INTO, likely to receive extensive media coverage, to criticise the Catholic hierarchy is revealing. He describes the opening of four new Educate Together schools in September following local parental surveys as a significant first step in meeting demand for greater choice, but no Catholic school property in those towns was yet ready to be handed over to the new patron for at least a year.