Most primary teachers want secular patrons for schools and believe faith formation should no longer take place in the classroom, according to a survey of Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) members
The findings are drawn from a representative sample of more than 1,000 INTO members who were surveyed earlier this year on religious education and school patronage in primary schools.
The vast majority of primary schools in the Republic (88 per cent) are under Catholic patronage, while the remainder are minority faith such as Church of Ireland (6 per cent) or multidenominational (6 per cent).
A breakdown of the survey results shows that while a majority (57 per cent) of INTO members believe faith formation should not take place in primary schools, a significant minority (43 per cent) support continuing the practice.
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Older teachers are more likely than younger teachers to support faith formation.
Most respondents (63 per cent) also believe primary schools should have secular patrons, while more than a third (37 per cent) support religious patrons.
On foot of the findings, an INTO taskforce on the future of school patronage has called for sacramental preparation to take place outside the school day.
In addition, it is seeking an “accelerated” divestment process of religious schools to multidenominational patrons and a more “flexible approach” to the requirement for a religious certificate to teach in denominational schools.
Separately, Minister for Education Helen McEntee has announced plans to establish a year-long National Convention on Education in the next school year.
She said it will be the “largest national conversation on education in the history of the State”.
A spokeswoman said the convention will examine the needs of the teacher workforce into the future, how school leadership can be supported, and how we can achieve an inclusive education system with the “best outcomes in the world for all students”, regardless of background or ability.
The spokeswoman said it will have an independent chair and that “teachers, students and parents will be central to the work of the convention”.
Meanwhile, Ms McEntee told the INTO’s annual congress on Tuesday that reductions in class sizes are “absolutely achievable”, despite warnings from public spending officials that such moves should not be considered until overspending in education is tackled.
She told delegates that while class sizes at primary have been reduced to a new low of one teacher for 23 pupils, she was committed to fulfilling the programme for government pledge to reduce it to one teacher for 19 pupils.
Ms McEntee received numerous rounds of applause from delegates for recent announcements, such as the extension of in-school therapies and fast-tracking new entrant teachers into permanent posts.
However, she received heckles when she referenced the need to ensure schools have the finances they need to meet their costs.
The congress heard on Monday that “chronic underfunding” was threatening the solvency of primary schools, with many forced to rely on cake sales and donations to pay basic heating and lighting bills.
Over the last two budgets, Ms McEntee said the Government has provided a 22 per cent increase in the level of capitation grant rates paid to schools.
“I’m very clear that we need to do more,” she said.
Responding to the Minister, INTO general secretary John Boyle said the State’s primary class sizes remain the “highest in the euro zone”.
“This cannot continue. Irish children deserve the same learning opportunities as their EU counterparts,” he said.
