Paul Keenan
The head of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) has defended the “core role” of religion in faith schools amid renewed suggestions that Religious Education could be side-lined in a curriculum shake-up.
With the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment consultation ongoing towards a new primary curriculum, reports over the Christmas period suggested that religion could lose its core status in favour of ‘flexible time’ outside a 60% dedication of school time to maths, English and Irish.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week on such a proposal, Seamus Mulconry, general secretary of the CPSMA insisted there was very little support for religion to be side-lined in such a way, and far more to be gained in retaining the centrality of religion in the teaching day.
“There remains parental demand for the transmission of their faith to their children,” Mr Mulconry pointed out, adding that there is “consistent demand” from parents for sacramental preparation of their children.
Important role
“Not alone that,” he went on, “religion continues to have an important role in teaching in other areas.” From a contribution to something like drama through nativity plays, he explained, “there is also an understanding of history, and issues such as the refugee crisis and homelessness and the crisis in the Middle East. These are subjects that can be explored with pupils through Religious Education.”
While Catholic primary schools continue to devote 30 minutes per day to Religious Education, and have the right to do so under the 1998 Education Act, religion has been repeatedly singled out as one area to be sacrificed in order to gain more time for literacy, numeracy and newer subjects such as coding.