Religion in schools 'a breach of children's human rights' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 29 November 2010
THE central role of religion in the overwhelming majority of Irish schools may be a breach of the human rights of some children.
And allowing pupils from minority faiths or none to opt out of religious instruction may not be enough to rectify the situation because the Catholic Church's ethos permeates the day-to-day life of most schools, a discussion paper has said.
The Government has been told it is time to address what place, if any, religion has in the classroom.
Ireland's record on religion in schools will come under scrutiny next year during a review by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHCR) issued a discussion paper over the weekend, posing a number of questions as to whether the law and practice in Ireland fully meets human rights standards.
"To put it somewhat baldly, the core issue to be discussed concerns whether religion has a place in the classroom and, if so, what role should it play," IHCR president Maurice Manning said.
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