A MOTION to remove compulsory religious courses on teacher education programmes is to be discussed by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) at their annual delegate conference in Dublin this weekend.
The motion calls for the abolition of compulsory religious courses for trainee teachers to be replaced with a common ethics course alongside optional denominational religious modules. Currently, those training to become a primary school teacher in Ireland cannot do so without taking compulsory religious education modules, regardless of their own religious beliefs.
The conference is also to discuss the recent controversy surrounding grade inflation. The union’s national executive has emphasised the importance of quality control systems and robust peer review.