THE Irish National Teachers' Organisation says it cannot agree to the new measures for the governance of primary schools, formally presented by the Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach, yesterday, due to a provision for the exclusion of children from schools on religious grounds.
The INTO general secretary, Senator Joe O'Toole, described the document as "progressive" in many ways but said the organisation had not agreed to it.
"The INTO cannot conceive that it would sign an agreement which allowed a school with places for kids to refuse those kids a place on the basis that they were not of the religion of the school."
Ms Breathnach described the agreement as an "historic document" produced after two years of discussions between representatives of teachers, parents and school management. The agreement on the governance of primary schools provides parents, teachers and school owners with equal democratic rights on school boards and provides protection for the ethos of the school in the school lease.
This protection can be provided through a deed of variation to the existing school lease, or an addition to existing agreements.
The INTO's objection centres on a section of the deed of variation to the lease of Church of Ireland and Presbyterian primary schools, which says that nothing in the deed or clause "shall oblige the school to accept as pupils children who are not members of the Church of Ireland" or, in the case of Presbyterian schools, "children who are not members of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland".
The INTO is also concerned at the requirement that both additional board members in Church of Ireland schools should be members of the Church of Ireland.