Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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76. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she plans to remove the Catholic certificate that is required to teach in most schools in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16253/24]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister if she plans to remove the Catholic certificate that some schools require of teachers.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The certificate of religious education is required as a condition of employment in Catholic schools. As an employment matter, it does not fall within my Department’s remit. Some of the higher education institutions offer an optional certificate in religion programme that is separate from the bachelor of education.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority. In accordance with Department circulars 31/2011 and 44/2019, schools are required to ensure that individuals appointed to teach are registered teachers with qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are employed.

The Teaching Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of standards in teaching and registering teachers, does not require a separate qualification in religious studies for registration as a primary school teacher. Schools and other educational institutions are required to comply with anti-discrimination and other employment legislation, such as the Employment Equality Act 1998. Section 37(1) of that Act, as amended, requires relevant employers in schools with a religious ethos to show that any favourable treatment of an employee or prospective employee is limited to the religion ground and action taken against a person is objectively justified by reference to that institution’s aim of protecting its religious ethos. This provision raises the threshold for discrimination so that schools are precluded from discrimination on any other equality grounds and that any action taken is reasonable and proportionate.

For historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local bishop as patron, although this pattern is changing. At present, 89% of primary schools have a Catholic ethos. Approximately 5% have a multidenominational ethos. The remaining approximately 6% of primary schools have a religious ethos other than Catholic, mainly Church of Ireland. It is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our changing society.

The schools' reconfiguration for diversity process, supporting transfers of schools to multidenominational patrons in response to the wishes of school communities, aims to facilitate more availability of multidenominational schools across the country. The programme for Government reflects the Government’s objective of continuing to expand the plurality of schools to reflect the full breadth of society.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I do not want to look at this from the perspective of multidenominational schools. That is a very valid conversation for another day. However, teachers should be hired on their skills, their ability, their experience and their qualifications to actually impart learning to the students in their classrooms. As there is a constitutional right for a learner to opt out of religion, why is this restriction still being placed on some teachers to be able to deliver that? The cold hard fact is that the 2022 census found that Roman Catholics accounted for 69% of the population. That represented a drop from 84.2% in 2011. Regardless of the factors that influence the latter, my opinion is that people who are not identifying as any religion at all play a large part in that. If we truly want our teachers to reflect the children who are sitting in their classrooms, we need to look at this. The saying that "You can't be what you can't see" applies to more than just what is visually obvious.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Regarding the point the Deputy raised, it is not a requirement for registration with Teaching Council. There is no requirement for any religious certificate. It is not a requirement for entry to any teaching college. However, section 37(1) of the Employment Equality Act 1998, as amended, requires relevant employers in schools with a religious ethos to show that any favourable treatment of an employee or prospective employee is limited to the religion ground and action taken against a person is objectively justified by reference to that institution’s aim of protecting its religious ethos. This provision raises the threshold for discrimination so that schools are precluded from discrimination on any other equality grounds and that any action taken is reasonable and proportionate. It is a reference to all schools, not just Catholic schools, including Church of Ireland schools, Muslim schools or whatever other types of schools.

I want to be very clear. Where it is associated with the Department through the Teaching Council, it is not a requirement. Equally, it is not a requirement with the teaching colleges.