TUI rejects religious instruction call

Members of one of the country’s teaching unions are set to ignore a recent “ham-fisted” Department of Education demand to provide alternative arrangements for students who opt out of religious instruction.

Delegates at the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) annual congress yesterday backed an emergency motion on the issue, which has seen the union at loggerheads with the Department over consultation and funding.

The TUI say the circular, issued to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and community post-primary schools in February, was unexpected.