Catholic grip on education receives rap on knuckles

Did I just get accused of defending the absurdity which is the farcical enrolment set up for 90% of all primary schools in the country?

Explaining it yes, defending it no.

D4RK ONION I dont actually know which college the teacher went to, Im speculating (a) that a Church of Ireland teacher went to the Church of Ireland College particularly since the newspaper reporting stated that she didnt have the Catholic Religion Certificate and
(B) that the Roman Catholic authorities dont extend their services to providing courses for members of other faiths to aquire Catholic Religion Certificates. ( thats how we keep things catholic, its no accident)

People who are of other faiths have been up to now in such a minority. Roman Catholocism is such a dominant part of the culture that for instance, when we think of a teacher, we think everyone goes to one of the RC colleges and dont know what happens with people who dont.
Im really not getting at you D4RK ONION, I am the same myself, its part of the culture if you are raised here RC.
So what happens when you go to the CI college? Are students there given such a lack of recognition that they are asked to compromise their faith and get a cert in catholic religion.

If teachers would rise up and rebel against this control, or stand up for what they do believe, thats if they believe in anything, or just plain be true to themselves and stop passing this **** on everything would change.
It can be done and it can be done even in harsh economic times, some teachers have stood up and said they wont teach religion.
This is probably easier for more established teachers to do, with more job security and union backing.
Mostly I think people just dont want to think about it, they dont care enough either way.

It is difficult to think about, but this acceptance of the status quo, this handing in of the catholic religion certificate makes one part of the system, that keeps others who cant, or wont, hold this cert out.

I dont think the argument that RC religion classes are merely classes in good living skills is true and anyway good living skills are already part of the primary cirriculum in SPHE

Overview

Social, personal and health education provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, health and well-being of the child and to help him/her to create and maintain supportive relationships and become an active and responsible citizen in society. Through an SPHE programme children can develop a framework of values, attitudes, understanding and skills that will inform their actions and decisions in these areas of their lives both now and in the future

Teaching RC religion is not just the passing on of basic skills in good living, it is passing on this pervasive respect, belief and in my opinion indoctrination that prevents many adults from seeing the power and control of the RC church.
With over 90% of schools under RC control many people dont even realise, because they are not educated to realise that this means keeping teachers who believe anything else out.
It is an educational monopoly

iguana - You are right about the important distinction between multi denominational and non denominational schools, thank you for pointing that out.
Thinking about that, it does seem that those statistics were putting both together.
I wonder what todays statistics are? Is RC control of schools still in the 90% range.

Ah hope at last. I see a parting of the clouds
58 Educate together schools and more on the way thats a great achievement and a good sign for diversity in the future.
Lets help it along by getting rid of section 37.1

Ambersky wrote: »

Section 37.1 very interestingly was not used in this case.
A big question is why not.

Good point. The teacher in question was obviously not a threat to the ethos of the school. She just wanted a job teaching kids.

Lets say someone qualifies from a C of I training college, and they are not particularly a religious zealot, maybe agnostic, maybe even atheist. They won't have this RC cert. At the interview, it will be obvious from their CV what their ethno-religious origins are. However the candidate could hint that they are not personally interested in converting any of the kids and are willing to toe the party line at all times. When in Rome....
An understanding interviewer sees that the candidate is excellent in every other way and takes them on as a temp.
Some time later when the time comes to make them permanent, the school Patron/BOM asks for the cert, as a mere formality, and then.... Kaboom!

BTW let nobody be under the illusion that if three otherwise equally suitable teachers were applying for one post in a C of I school, an atheist, a RC and a C of I, that all would have an equal chance.