Irish State still allows Catholic Church to control Sex Education in Irish schools
January 20, 2018 No Comments

Irish State still allows Catholic Church to control Sex Education in Irish schools

Last week the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, told Ruth Coppinger TD that the Relationship and Sexuality Education policy of schools should reflect the core values and ethos of the school as outlined in the school’s mission statement. This goes against a United Nations recommendation, last year, that Ireland should integrate ...

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Catholic Diocesan Advisors behave like the School Inspectorate in ETB schools
December 29, 2017 No Comments

Catholic Diocesan Advisors behave like the School Inspectorate in ETB schools

In ETB schools and colleges, Catholic Diocesan Advisors behave like the School Inspectorate of the Department of Education & Skills. The Diocesan Advisors run an annual seminar and in-service days for religion teachers who teach in State-run ETB schools. They also provide schools with endless documents for the Religion classes ...

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Archbishop confirms that state-funded Irish schools are vital centres for Catholic evangelisation
October 28, 2017 1 Comment

Archbishop confirms that state-funded Irish schools are vital centres for Catholic evangelisation

In a speech last week to a conference on Catholic education, Archbishop Eamon Martin said that Catholic schools remain 'vital centres for evangelisation and catechesis'. Atheist Ireland has for years been pointing out this damning fact: that our publicly funded school system is part of the evangelising mission of the ...

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Freedom of Information Documents show State ETB schools have a specifically Catholic ethos
October 6, 2017 2 Comments

Freedom of Information Documents show State ETB schools have a specifically Catholic ethos

The Minister for Education and ETB Ireland are both presenting ETB schools as the State-run multi-denominational alternative for parents who do not want a Catholic education for their children. They are promoting ETB schools ahead of Educate Together schools. But Atheist Ireland has obtained documents under the Freedom of Information ...

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New case shows that the Irish State directly imposes a Catholic ethos in ETB Schools
August 25, 2017 No Comments

New case shows that the Irish State directly imposes a Catholic ethos in ETB Schools

A recent case at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) vindicates the position of Atheist Ireland in relation to religion in the Education & Training Board (ETB) schools and colleges. We have consistently argued that ETB schools are run as religious schools, and that most of them have a Catholic or ...

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The right to opt out of religion classes is not enough to respect parents’ convictions
August 23, 2017 1 Comment

The right to opt out of religion classes is not enough to respect parents’ convictions

The right to Opt out of Religion in Irish Schools is not enough to ensure respect for the philosophical convictions of Atheist and Secular parents. In Ireland, Atheist and secular parents are second class citizens.  Church and state are pursuing an aim of indoctrination, by not respecting and protecting the ...

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Extra support is needed for Educate Together second level schools
July 14, 2017 No Comments

Extra support is needed for Educate Together second level schools

The Minister of State for Training and Skills, John Halligan, has responded to the Dail questions on School Transport submitted by Deputy Ruth Coppinger. He has reiterated the incredible claim that the terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis. It is difficult to understand how ...

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Church and State; Undermining the human rights of parents and their children
June 13, 2017 No Comments

Church and State; Undermining the human rights of parents and their children

There are basic human rights principles in relation to the teaching of religion in schools. The human rights Guiding Principle is that religion must be delivered in an objective, critical and pluralistic in order to ensure respect for parents’ religious or philosophical convictions. If the teaching of religion is not ...

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The Irish Education System is unique in the control that the State gives to churches
June 5, 2017 1 Comment

The Irish Education System is unique in the control that the State gives to churches

The Irish Education system is unique in the control that the State gives to churches. Comparing State funding of faith schools in other countries with the Irish education system is misleading. This is because, in the countries that do fund faith schools, most children attend a parallel system of non-denominational ...

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Church and State: Evangelising minorities in Irish schools
June 3, 2017 No Comments

Church and State: Evangelising minorities in Irish schools

We live in a Country where the desire of some people for a religious education for their children takes precedence over the right of other parents not to have their children evangelised into religion while accessing education. Non-religious families are discriminated against on religious grounds, and when most of these ...

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