Catholic schools often argue that they are inclusive, and that they do their best to make all children feel included. They are correct. They do want to make all children feel included, but by this they mean included in the Catholic religion, faith, and ethos....
The Department of Education is conducting a misleading and harmful survey of primary school parents and guardians, staff, and management board members. It misleadingly implies that parents are being given an option to choose non-religious schools, when in reality they are not. It harmfully implies...
Atheist Ireland uses our special consultative status at the UN to highlight religious discrimination in Irish schools, and to counter inaccurate responses by the Irish state to UN human rights committees. Here are UN human rights recommendations to Ireland based on these sessions. Questions from...
As well as using our special consultative status at the UN, Atheist Ireland highlights with the Council of Europe the issue of religious discrimination in Irish schools. Here are Council of Europe human rights recommendations to Ireland. Council of Europe Protection of National Minorities 2006,...
The State still funds Catholic chaplains in ETB schools and colleges with over €10 million a year to assist Catholic parents with the faith formation of their children. That sits uneasily with how ETBs are marketed as the alternative to denominational schools. What the law...
Atheist Ireland has sent the following submission to the Oireachtas Education Committee on the need for freedom of conscience, religion, and belief in Irish schools Executive Summary This submission addresses the right to freedom of conscience, religion, and belief in the Irish education system. It...
Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the newly established Oireachtas Committee on Public Accounts. Oversight of the Constitutional Condition for State Aid to Schools 1. Summary 2. The Constitutional Condition for State Aid 3. Legislative Responsibility under Article 15 4. Absence of Statutory...
Article 44.2.4 of the Constitution singles out religious instruction over the teaching of other school subjects, and makes it the responsibility of the Oireachtas, not the Executive. Article 44.2.4 makes vindicating the right to not attend religious instruction a condition of state aid to schools....
The Department of Education, and school patron bodies, are defying the Constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in publicly funded schools, as well as laws that protect that Constitutional right. In doing this, they use Circular Letters that have no statutory power and that...
Atheist Ireland has written the following letter to Helen McEntee TD, the new Minister for Education, about the commitment to non-denominational education in Programme for Government. Dear Minister McEntee, Congratulations on your new role and we wish you well. You are the ninth Minister for...