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School subject “opt-outs are now being framed as a new card to disrupt the ethos of Catholic schools” the CEO of the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP), Alan Hynes has warned. “We need to be clear: if we are going to divest schools — which we support — then our Catholic schools, which the large majority of parents clearly still want to be Catholic schools, need to be able to retain their ethos and express it authentically. The idea of forcing RE out of the school day through the back door — through misinformation on the Nine O’Clock news or other means — needs to be resisted. It is contrary to the rights of parents to have their children educated in accordance with their own beliefs” he said.
Mr Hynes in an interview with the Education Nation podcast was asked by host Nicky Cuddihy about an INTO official on RTÉ who said Ireland is the only country in the world where religious education is part of a faith-based, publicly funded system, responded saying it is simply not true. “Our nearest neighbours — Scotland, England, Wales — all teach religious education as part of their publicly funded faith-based education. And that’s true in Spain, France, the Netherlands, and several other EU countries. It’s a little bit disturbing to see RTÉ platform that kind of misinformation, because we’re often presented as if we’re very unusual. We are unusual in the degree of Church involvement in the system — but the idea of faith-based, publicly funded schools is not unusual within the EU at all, and it’s perfectly in keeping with human rights norms.”
Mr Hynes added that opt-outs are not just for RE and there is no issue with them except when it comes to RE then campaigning groups claim “othering” and “exclusion”. He said “As for opt-outs — they’re already a simple feature of school life. You can opt out of religious education, yes, but there are also opt-outs from RSE, from SPHE, from well-being, from music, from PE, for various cultural and religious reasons. In all those cases at primary level, pupils remain in their classrooms and are given some other activity. Uniquely, it seems that only when a child opts out of religious education does this “othering” and “exclusion” get detailed in articles by campaigning groups.”
Mr Hynes defended the professionalism of teachers in Catholic schools. “I spoke to a principal yesterday who told me she has more pupils opting out of well-being than out of religious education. I’ve always been happy to rely on the professionalism of our teachers and the deep care they have for children in their classrooms. The idea that they would exclude or other a child — I’ve always trusted the professionals, and they don’t. They go above and beyond to ensure their classrooms are happy, positive spaces. When people make these allegations, they’re effectively accusing teachers of something I have never encountered, and I would defend the reputation of teachers in that regard to the end.”
Full interview available on Eduation Nation podcast