Students training to be primary school teachers will now be taught how to deliver ethical education in multi-denominational schools and receive a certification for it.
Aitheantas, a new framework to certify ethical education in Irish teacher training colleges, was launched on Wednesday, with colleges expected to start teaching it in 2027.
A multi-denominational school is a one run by a non-religious patron, such as Educate Together or Education and Training Boards, where children learn about all faiths and belief systems and not one single religion.
There are currently 172 multi-denominational primary schools in Ireland, just over 5 per cent of all primary schools in the State. The vast majority of primary schools, some 88 per cent, are of Catholic patronage, while the remainder are of another religious ethos, mainly Church of Ireland.
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However, a recent Department of Education survey of over 200,000 households found 40 per cent of parents of children in religious primary schools would rather their children were taught in multi-denominational schools.
The national primary school survey found 60 per cent wanted the school’s religious ethos to remain unchanged, but those numbers varied significantly across counties.
The department is preparing to publish school specific reports from the survey in the coming weeks.
One of the developers of the ethical education framework, the Education and Training Boards of Ireland (ETBI), said in a statement it believes the results of the survey are significant and will lead to an “increase in the number of Community National Schools and Educate Together Schools over the coming years”.
The framework educates trainee teachers on how to discuss human rights, migration, racism, sustainability, diversity, equality and democracy, among other themes, with the children in their class.
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The ETBI’s director of schools, Seamus Conboy, said the impact of the new programme “will be felt well into the future, supporting student teachers and enriching the learning experiences of children in a growing number of Community National Schools and Educate Together Schools”.
Chief executive of Educate Together Emer Nowlan said demand for these types of schools “has grown steadily in recent years”. She said the framework will “help to ensure that graduating teachers have the skills and confidence they need to teach in these settings”.
Also speaking at the launch was Anne Marie Kavanagh, assistant professor in ethical and intercultural education at Dublin City University, who said the new teaching programme ensured “fairness” and “parity” between religious and non-religious run schools.
“Aitheantas speaks to the reality of change in Irish society. The findings of the recent primary school survey show a clear appetite among parents for greater diversity of school types and patronage models.
“Families are increasingly seeking schools that reflect a wide range of beliefs, identities and world views. If we are serious about responding to that demand, then we must make sure the student teachers are fully prepared to teach within those different contexts,” Kavanagh said.
