"SIR, WHY DO we have I to do RE in the Junior Cert?" and "Miss, why do we have to sit RE in the Leaving?" are likely to become frequently asked questions in second level schools throughout the Republic over the next few years.
In Britain, RE is part of the core curriculum and must be taught in all schools, including non church schools. A daily act of collective worship is a legal requirement in all State and denominational schools. Parents retain the right to withdraw their children from RE and collective worship. However, before enrolling in certain schools, such as Catholic schools, parents are given to understand that their children will be required to do RE because of the school's ethos.
Although RE must be studied in Britain, the Department for Education in England and Wales does not insist on it being examined at GCSE level (generally taken a year after pupils in the Republic sit the Junior Cert). However, virtually all pupils in the large and highly regarded Catholic sector in Britain are obliged to do a GCSE in RE. According to Sister Mary Jo Martin of the Brentwood Religious Education Service (BRES) in Essex even some non church schools impose this obligation, depending on their emphasis and commitment.
While it is understood that the proposed new Junior Cert and Leaving Cert examinations would be optional from the point of view of the State, it is difficult to imagine that Catholic schools in the Republic would fail to impose the proposed new Junior and Leaving Cert examinations, just as they do in the UK, given the enhanced status such a move would accord religious education in the curriculum.
It needs to be stressed that what is proposed here are State exams in RE - the Junior and Leaving Cert not Church exams.
The shift in RE from a catechetical or faith development approach to that of an academic discipline will involve a major cultural shift which, I suspect, few people as yet appreciate, including teachers, parents, pupils, bishops and publishers.
Where RE is properly taught in Britain, pupils quickly learn that there is no attempt, covert or otherwise, to indoctrinate them. The purpose of GCSE and A level RE is for pupils to develop knowledge and understanding of, and to learn to evaluate, religious issues.
If a pupil's evaluation of a sacred text, dogma, or moral issue is at variance with, or even in complete opposition to, the official position of, say, the Catholic church, he or she has as much chance of getting a top grade in RE as one who adopts the party line.
There are several examining boards in Britain. Individual schools decide which board offers the best syllabus for their pupils. For instance, GCSE pupils in St Bonaventure's, a multi cultural Catholic comprehensive in the East End of London, studied a syllabus of the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB). Sections chosen were Mark's gospel and a course entitled "Aspects of Christian life with reference to the Roman Catholic tradition".
Pupils were required to submit four pieces of (teacher assessed) course work, each of about 1,500 words. Forty per cent of the total marks for the examination were allocated to course work. Marks were modulated within the school and random samples checked by an external moderator. Pupils also sat two written papers, each of one hour and 45 minutes duration, based on the Marcan and Roman Catholic tradition sections of the syllabuses.
Course work and written examinations were designed to test pupils' ability to consult relevant sources, to organise information and to use "technical terms" accurately. Pupils' understanding of religious language, terms and concepts was tested and they were expected to explain the role of "special people, writings and traditions". Pupils had to show their understanding of beliefs and the relationships between beliefs and practices. They needed to explain moral issues and the application of religious thinking to those issues.
Top marks in the crucial skill of evaluation were given to pupils who showed a "full ability" to evaluate "a wide range of religious issues, to formulate arguments and to justify personal opinions on the basis of evidence and informed judgments". Further marks were awarded for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Sister Mary Jo Martin of BRES explained that RE hasn't been catechetical in Britain for years. As a result, she said, RE has the same status as any other subject. Faith development is not neglected on account of the academic approach. Indeed, faith development may still take place within lessons. Assemblies, retreats, chaplaincies, liturgies, involvement with charities and visits to places of worship contribute to the spiritual dimension of schools.
Once pupils know that they can get excellent grades in a subject, enthusiasm, confidence and vibrancy for that subject is engendered. There is no reason why RE should not become such a subject in any school.
"Why do we have to do a GCSE in RE?" pupils at St Bonaventure's invariably asked. "To help you to learn to think for yourselves," was the most important answer. The second one was like it: "So you get your best grade in RE". And they almost always did.
