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State high schools must phase out a variety of Catholic influences, such as mandatory graduation Masses, the display of Catholic symbols only, and visits by diocesan inspectors.
The new rules will apply to more than 200 high schools run by the State Education and Training Boards (ETBs), formerly vocational schools, that are officially classified as multi-denominational.
However, an unpublished document on the core values of these schools has raised concerns within the industry that Catholic practices are standardized in many state schools.
The “framework for the recognition of religious beliefs / identities of all students in ETB schools” describes the steps that schools must take to align them with a multi-denominational spirit. They include that any religious symbols on display must echo the beliefs of the school community at large rather than a particular religion. It also means that schools that symbolically represent religious celebrations must ensure balance, such as a school that displays a crib at Christmas, but also the Islamic symbols of Eid.
State Curriculum
The framework states that ETB schools will not offer religious instruction or faith formation for a particular religion during the school day. Instead, schools will offer the state religious education curriculum in which students learn about a variety of different religions and beliefs.
Teachers of religion can only receive training from groups that are fully compatible with the multi-denominational spirit of an ETB school. The document also states that the only authority that should be allowed to inspect the teaching of religion should be the inspection of the Department of Education, rather than the diocesan inspectors. School events that mark a specific religious event or celebration should be optional rather than requiring students to opt out, he says.
It is understood that the rules will not necessarily apply to a separate category of 70 ETB schools that have legally binding agreements with the Catholic Church that guarantee certain provisions for Catholic children.
Paddy Lavelle, Secretary General of the Irish Education and Training Boards, confirmed that the unpublished document is part of a broader framework that addresses the “multi-national aspect of our schools specifically and the importance of serving children of all worldviews religious and non-religious alike. “
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