Education

10 December 2022

Documents about misuse of state funds regarding religious instruction

Since December 2021, Atheist Ireland has been lobbying to vindicate the constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools, and to uphold parental authority in the education of their children, which the Supreme Court has described as a foundational pillar of the Constitution. As...

4 December 2022

Atheist Ireland asks NCCA to recommend change in law for senior cycle SPHE

Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the NCCA Consultation on the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE. 1. Overview 2. Why legal change is needed 3. Constitutional rights of parents 4. Legal route to course being taught through religious ethos 5. Catholic Church Guidelines...

17 November 2022

TDs have a duty to protect the constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools

If you want to do something about the influence that the Catholic Church has in Ireland, you can. You can ask your local TD to fulfil their duty to protect the right of students to not attend religious instruction in publicly funded schools. This right...

30 October 2022

New Atheist Ireland report – Schools are still defying the law on admission policies

Two years ago, in October 2020, we published a report on how 100 sample schools were defying the legal requirement to publish an Admission Policy which must include details of the school’s arrangements for students who do not want to attend religious instruction. We brought...

18 October 2022

Department of Education misusing public funds by ignoring constitutional rights

Since last December, Atheist Ireland has been lobbying to vindicate the constitutional right to not attend religious instruction in schools, and to uphold parental authority in the education of their children, which the Supreme Court has described as a foundational pillar of the Constitution. You...

16 October 2022

Religious school ethos should not influence social, personal, and health education

Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the NCCA’s consultation on the updated junior cycle SPHE curriculum. The aim of the updated short course is ‘to nurture students’ self-awareness and positive self-worth and to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills, dispositions and values that will...

6 October 2022

Atheist Ireland submission to UN on combating intolerance based on religion or belief

Atheist Ireland has made the following submission to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights who is preparing report on combating intolerance against persons based on religion or belief. Contents 1. Background to Atheist Ireland 2. Our recommendations 3. The UN and States should use...

2 October 2022

Atheist Ireland, Evangelical Alliance, and Ahmadi Muslims update the UN on rights of children

Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, made a joint submission to the UN Children’s Rights Committee as it prepares to question Ireland next January. You can read that submission here. We also met with the UN Committee...

1 October 2022

Atheist Ireland lobbying at the United Nations for the rights of children in Irish schools

Atheist Ireland was at the United Nations in Geneva this week lobbying for the rights of children in Irish schools that discriminate on the ground of religion. We also represented the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland, with whom we...

18 September 2022

Is the Catholic Church really moving sacramental preparation out of schools?

Reports that the Catholic Church in Dublin is to start moving the preparation of children for sacraments out of the classroom are welcome, but they are exaggerated when compared to the full policy document published by the Archdiocese. The full policy document says that schools...