Changes to provision of religious instruction in ETB schools must be underpinned by appropriate resources

By piofficer, Monday, 19th February 2018 | 0 comments

Responding to the publication a circular letter outlining changes to the arrangements for students who do not wish to participate in religious instruction in ETB and Community Post Primary Schools, TUI outlined its serious concerns over the failure of the Minister to provide resourcing for the measure. 

On a practical level, if the ‘alternative tuition’ described in the circular letter is to be provided, other subject options will have to be made available to students at the time that religion instruction takes place. Quite clearly, this will require the employment of additional teachers in schools.

In terms of additional subject options being offered, TUI and other education stakeholders have made clear the severe difficulties around the recruitment and retention of teachers across a growing range of subjects due to a system of pay inequality. If additional hours are to be offered in some subject areas, this will clearly add to these difficulties until such time as this issue is resolved.

TUI is also surprised that such a measure would only be implemented for a proportion of the country's second-level schools. 

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