Sir, – We work in five major providers of primary initial teacher education across the State. Each of us currently teaches, or recently taught, about the range of Patrons’ Programmes that are part of the recognised primary curriculum. The article “Sex education to be taught at earlier age under new primary school curriculum” (Education, March 6th) stated: “Children will spend less time on so-called patron’s programmes, or denominational education”. Denominational education refers to the entire enterprise of education offered by faith-based educational providers – as such, it cannot be reduced to a single curricular area or programme. It envelopes the entire curriculum. This is equally true of multidenominational and nondenominational education. The Patrons’ Programme is a formally recognised title. It is neither a “so-called” area nor is it exclusively denominational. It is important that the record state that there are both denominational (religious education) and multidenominational (ethical and multi-belief and values education) Patrons’ Programmes in operation across a range of primary schools in Ireland; for example, Grow in Love is taught in schools under Catholic patronage; Follow Me is taught in schools under Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian patronage; Goodness Me Goodness You is taught in Community National Schools, and Learn Together is taught in Educate Together schools. The article infers that “learning about religions, beliefs, and worldviews” is something new and will be prioritised over the content of Patrons’ Programmes in the new curriculum. In reality, education about religions, beliefs, and worldviews is already an integral aspect of religious education and ethical/multi-belief and values education in Irish primary schools. It is not yet clear how this aspect of social and environmental education will be addressed in the context of school ethos and/or the Patron’s Programmes. – Yours, etc,
VIVEK da SILVA,
Dr ANNE-MARIE KAVANAGH,
Dr DAVID KENNEDY,
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Dr JONES IRWIN,
Dr NIAMH McGUIRK,
Dr JACQUI WILKINSON,
Dublin City University
Institute of Education;
Dr FIONA DINEEN,
Dr MAURICE HARMON,
Dr PATRICIA KIERAN,
Dr DANIEL O’CONNELL,
Mary Immaculate College,
Limerick;
Dr AIVEEN MULLALLY,
Marino Institute of Education;
Dr CORA O’FARRELL,
Director,
Mater Dei Centre
for Catholic Education,
Dublin City University;
Rev Dr JOHN-PAUL
SHERIDAN,
St Patrick’s Pontifical University,
Maynooth;
Rev Canon Prof ANNE LODGE,
Director,
The Church of Ireland Centre,
DCU Institute of Education,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – I wonder has David Graham of Education Equality (Letters, March 8th) actually spent a day in the classroom of any modern day faith-based classroom. I can categorically tell him that it’s a far cry from “religious evangelism”, as he describes it.
The reality on the ground is that religion is not taught for the prescribed 2½ hours each week. This week, I taught religion on one day for 30 minutes! On a normal week, I’m happy if I get three 15-minute to 20-minute lessons taught. More often than not, it’s two.
Mr Graham seems to have the perception that children who opt out are “left twiddling their thumbs”. Again, this does not happen in my school. Children engage in some other educational activity for that short period of time.
As for sacramental preparation, I would say that every teacher in this country would love if that preparation took place outside of school.
The curriculum is overloaded as it is. Personally, I would love it if religion were taken out of schools. We are teaching it in a vacuum, for the most part, anyway, as the majority of parents and children are “religious” in name only. – Yours, etc,
DEE DELANY,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.