Call to make religion for teachers optional [IrishTimes]
- Published: 03 June 2010
LABOUR EDUCATION spokesman Ruairi Quinn called for the ending of the requirement on students in teacher-training colleges to participate in religious studies.
He called on Minister for Education Mary Coughlan to request the colleges, which were in receipt of €50 million in taxpayers’ money, to explicitly provide a freedom of conscience option for student-teachers. He said this should be done by way of a formal letter.
When Ms Coughlan replied that it was not an issue which had arisen, Mr Quinn replied: “You cannot say that.” She said she did not believe that she should issue a diktat to the colleges on the issue. “I think it is a matter of working together and seeing if there are certain procedures that need to be set up to allow this to happen.”
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