Education Equality accuses Minister Helen McEntee of misleading the Irish public on children who opt out of religious instruction

A major political row has erupted today, with the Education Equality group accusing the Minister for Education Helen McEntee of making an assertion which is completely “untrue” on the Today FM show The Last Word.

"Claims by Minister for Education Helen McEntee on The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM on Monday 22 September have left parents, teachers and principals scratching their heads,” Education Equality said in a statement.

The Minister was responding to a text message sent to The Last Word by David Graham, Communications Officer with Education Equality – in the form of a question:

“Does Minister McEntee believe,” David Graham asked, "that the redeveloped primary curriculum will give parents an effective choice as to whether or not their children remain in the classroom for daily religious faith formation lessons in every school, as provided for under Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution? Or will schools continue to be free to breach children's clearly enshrined Constitutional rights?”

Responding to this question, Minister McEntee said:

“There is already a very clear structure set out so if a child is attending a school where the particular patronage, for example, if it's a Catholic patronage, but they don't wish to be involved in that particular patronage programme, there is already very clear guidelines set out as to what that child should be doing at that time.”

However, Education Equality have strongly rebutted that claim.

"This statement by Minister McEntee is untrue,” they said today. "No structures are in place for opted-out pupils, and the Department of Education has not issued any guidelines to schools. Instead, the Department has consistently said that the way that schools facilitate children who are not participating in the patron’s programme is a matter for each individual school.

"The Department,” the organisation added, "does not collect data on the number of opted-out children, it does not examine the approach being taken by schools, and it does not ensure that schools provide written details of their arrangements for opted-out children in their admissions policies as required by Section 62(7)(n) of the Education Act 2018.

"In fact, the Department does not inspect the teaching of religion at all in primary schools, instead leaving this to diocesan inspectors appointed by the patron.'

Education Equality Communications Officer David Graham responded further to Minister McEntee’s comments.

“The guidelines referred to by Minister McEntee do not exist,” he stated. "Parents are routinely asked to collect their children from school if they do not want them to attend church visits. No clear structures whatsoever are in place to give effect to children’s clearly enshrined right under Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution to attend their local school without attending religious instruction. Education Equality has been asking for these guidelines and structures to be put in place since 2015.”

The huge drop in religious affiliation has made the issue increasingly urgent.

“More than one million Irish people did not state a religion in the last census,” David Graham observed, "yet almost 90% of Irish primary schools remain under Catholic patronage, where religious faith formation permeates every aspect of the school day. The new redeveloped curriculum does nothing to address this."

Might there be a so far secret set of guidelines, of which the general public have been left unaware? With that possibility in mind, Education Equality has called on the Department of Education to publish a copy of the guidelines referred to by Minister McEntee and to send these guidelines to all schools without delay.

"Education Equality continues to call on the Government to compel schools to confine religious instruction and worship to a period at the end of the school day outside core school hours,” the statement said, "in order to uphold families’ human and constitutional rights to freedom of religion and belief."

Education Equality is a voluntary human rights organisation established to campaign for equality in the provision of education for all children regardless of religion. Education Equality is calling for an end to all religious discrimination in State-funded schools.

 

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