Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

notes that: — more than 90 per cent of Irish primary schools are under religious patronage, while only 5 per cent are multi-denominational;

— a survey by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation found that just 4 per cent of teachers think preparing students for sacraments should be the responsibility of primary schools, while more than two fifths believe that faith formation should not take place at all during school hours;

— the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future of the 33rd Dáil, contained a target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030, "to improve parental choice";

— in reality, there are approximately just 170 such schools, with only 20 changing from a religious to a multi-denominational ethos over the past decade; and

— "Securing Ireland's Future", the current Programme for Government, contains no target at all on multi-denominational schools; further notes that: — the previous Government had committed to holding a Citizens' Assembly on the future of education; and

— the current Government has downgraded this commitment and has pledged to hold a "national convention"; regrets that: — despite successive Governments stated commitments to educational pluralism, the vast majority of schools remain under religious patronage, even as demand for multi-denominational options grows;

— the Government's Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process lacks transparency, ambition, and community empowerment;

— patronage divestment is stalling due to poor community engagement, lack of clarity in the process, and no obligation on patrons to cooperate; and

— schools wishing to reconfigure face financial disincentives and logistical hurdles, creating systemic inertia; recognises that: — these ongoing delays directly undermine parental choice and the constitutional right to freedom of religion; and

— without decisive action, the goal of a pluralistic, inclusive education system will remain aspirational; and calls on the Government to: — reinstate the abandoned commitment to have 400 multi-denominational schools by 2030;

— adopt a policy that all new schools are opened under non-religious patronage;

— remove "faith formation" from the school day, with it to take place outside of school hours in line with the families beliefs;

— create a clear and independent mechanism for patronage change, via the establishment of a statutory framework for changing school patronage, with independent oversight to avoid conflicts of interest by existing patrons;

— repeal section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act 1998, so teachers cannot face religious discrimination; and

— establish a Citizens' Assembly to make recommendations on the future of the education system, including how it might better reflect and serve a more modern, inclusive and diverse Ireland.

This motion speaks to the heart of our republic's promise of the right of every child to have an inclusive, respectful and equitable education. As a mother of four, an educator and someone who has dedicated her life to education equity, I bring forward this motion not just as a legislator but as someone who has witnessed at first hand the transformative power of inclusive education. I am speaking on behalf of many parents who are desperately seeking a multidenominational school for their child.

This is not the first time that Ireland has tried to have a multidenominational education system. Over 200 years ago, the Fourteenth Report from the Commissioners of the Board of Education in 1812 wanted to develop a national school system for children that would be free from even the suspicion of proselytising. The Stanley letter of 1831 is not just an historic document; it still underpins our national school system almost 200 years later. Schools would be established to unite in one system children of different creeds because at that time, denominational and political tensions were high. Children would receive four or five days of literary and moral instruction. On the remaining one or two days per week, there would be separate religious instruction given by clergy of respective persuasions, which could take place either before or after ordinary school hours. Unfortunately, the churches opposed a mixed denominational system and by approximately mid-century, the national school system had become a denominational system.

The Constitution was enacted in 1937. Article 42.1 states that the State "acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children". Article 42.4 states that "the State shall provide for free primary education and shall endeavour to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiative ... with due regard, however, for the rights of parents, especially in the matter of religious and moral formation".

The involvement of parents in education was strengthened in 1975 when parents were included on the boards of management of schools for the first time. At that time, two sets of parents were starting campaigns. In 1978, a group of parents in Dalkey, County Dublin, managed to get a multidenominational school opened - the Dalkey School Project. That school celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. This movement grew into what we now know as Educate Together.

At the same time, parents were battling to have their children educated through the Irish language. They established naonraí for young children and gaelscoileanna for primary school children. This movement grew into An Foras Pátrúnachta, which is the patron body for Irish-medium schools that may be multidenominational, interdenominational or denominational.

In 2006, another type of multidenominational school emerged, namely, the community national schools. The first of these schools opened in 2008. These schools are managed by the education and training boards.

In 2011, the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was launched to begin to respond to the need for appropriate forms of primary school patronage for Ireland’s increasingly diverse society. There were four findings, of which three are relevant today. These are: divesting patronage in areas with stable populations; enhancing inclusivity in all schools; and that there should be curriculum and policy reforms. Yet here we are in 2025, more than a decade later, and these recommendations do not appear to be moving at any speed. There are only about 170 multidenominational schools today. This is a very far distance from where the Government is trying to get. Over 94.5% of our primary schools remain under religious patronage while only 5.5% are multidenominational. This imbalance does not reflect the rich diversity of beliefs and backgrounds in modern Ireland.

This motion calls on the Government to do some very simple things that would have a significant impact on the education landscape. The first is to reinstate the commitment in the programme for Government in 2020 that called for 400 multidenominational schools. This seemed to have disappeared in the programme for Government 2024. Parental choice is a constitutional right and this must be upheld. The glacial pace of change means the Government will fall well short of meeting this target. This is bearing in mind that 400 multidenominational schools will not address the massive demand for school places every year. A total of 60% of parents who were polled said they would prefer to send their children to a multidenominational school, as opposed to 10% who would prefer religious schools, yet 94.5% of schools are religious.

Although no new primary schools have opened in recent years, the Social Democrats are asking that any new primary State-funded school opened should be multidenominational to provide parents with real choice - exactly what is at the heart of this motion. There is no need to open any more religious schools; there are enough of them.

The removal of rule 68 for primary schools was a positive one. It was a rule that saw religion as being the most important part of school. It saw that religious education and spirit permeated every part of the school day. A further step would be to remove faith formation in school time. This would mean that those who want sacramental preparation would do it outside school time and it would be the responsibility of parents and their respective religious bodies to organise this. In 2025, it is absolutely not acceptable that any child is excluded from part of the school day because they are not participating in faith formation. A recent survey by the Irish National Teachers Organisation found that just 4% of teachers believe that preparing students for sacraments should be the responsibility of primary schools. More than two-fifths of them believe that faith formation should not take place at all during school hours. The removal of religious discrimination is important to ensure that no child is an outsider.

The Government's schools reconfiguration for diversity process lacks transparency, ambition and community empowerment. Patronage divestment is stalling due to poor community engagement, lack of clarity in the process and no obligation on patrons to co-operate. Schools wishing to reconfigure face financial disincentives and logistical hurdles, creating systemic inertia.

No worker should be discriminated against on the basis of their religion or lack of religion. Teachers and education staff currently face religious discrimination because they are not protected under section 37 of the Employment Equality Act. This needs to end. There is no excuse for this in 2025. We must also remove the need for student teachers to have to do a religious certificate to teach in State-funded schools. This is divisive.

The Government need to establish a citizen’s assembly, which is the gold standard for discussing topics that are complex and multifaceted. A convention, which is what is being offered, is not what we are looking for. We are looking for a full citizens' assembly.

To recap, simply put, the Social Democrats are looking for the Government to reinstate the abandoned commitment to have 400 multidenominational schools by 2030, to adopt a policy that all new schools are opened under non-religious patronage, to remove faith formation from the school day with it to take place outside of school hours in line with families' beliefs, to create a clear and independent mechanism for patronage change via the establishment of a statutory framework for changing school patronage with independent oversight to avoid conflicts of interest by existing patrons, to amend the Employment Equality Act and to establish a citizens' assembly to make recommendations on the future of the education system, including how it might better reflect and serve a more modern, inclusive, and diverse Ireland.

Every child deserves a school that respects their family's beliefs. It is time to make education in Ireland truly inclusive. I urge all Members of this House to support this motion.

See this speech in context