Bishops and other Catholic Church education interests have expressed their dismay and opposition to the current proposals outlined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), which could weaken the status of religion in the primary school curriculum.
The NCCA proposed to have two categories of time allocation, 60% for a minimum State curriculum and 40% for ‘flexible’ time, as a structure for the school day and week.
An adviser from the Elphin Diocese said that this move would have an adverse effect on schools’ ethos and consequently damage children’s religious and spiritual development.