The State should have “bitten the bullet” and used the opportunity of a new curriculum to “finally get rid of religious teaching from the classroom”, Jonathan Healy has argued.
After 26 years of the same curriculum, Education Minister Helen McEntee has announced a radical reform to what children will learn in primary school.
However, teachers will still have the right to instruct pupils religious for up to two hours each week.
On Newstalk Breakfast, presenter Jonathan Healy described this as a “massive missed opportunity” for Irish society.
“Most parents don’t realise there’s legal obligations on primary schools to teach religion,” he said.
“That includes the schools that are nondenominational; so, they have to come up with some kind of teaching a form of world religion.
“But why, why in 2025 are we still doing this? It makes absolutely no sense.
“Even the people who want this, are happier to take it out of the school.
“I love the way they’re talking about STEM and language and art, social and environmental education.
“Then we’re just going to say, ‘Actually, forget all about that, we’re going to start teaching you about religion whether you want it or not.’
“I don’t know why the State didn’t bite the bullet and finally get rid of religious teaching from the classroom.”
First holy communion. Picture by: Alamy.com.By contrast, fellow presenter Ciara Kelly said she thinks many parents like that their children are taught about religion in school, noting it means they do not have to prepare their children for their first holy communion in their spare time.
“Parents do quite like the bouncy castle and the big day out and the white dress and all that,” she said.
“They quite like the communion, they quite like the confirmation and they don’t really want to have to bring their children to Sunday school or whatever it would be - there’s a bit of teaching and learning that goes into those sacraments.
“So, they don’t want to do that in their own time, on the weekends and outside of school hours.”
Main image: A split of Jonathan Healy and Christ on the cross. Pictures by: Newstalk and Alamy.com.
