Religion In School

robindch

The following was in this evening's RTE News Update email:

The nine Catholic Bishops in Northern Ireland have issued a statement, taking issue with planned reforms of Northern Ireland's education system. The bishops say the changes would pose a serious threat to the rights of parents to choose a Catholic education for their children. The British government has been looking at the use of resources and the costs involved in the North's education system. For some time the Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Hain, has been hinting about the need for significant change, including school closures and amalgamations. Earlier this week a review with radical recommendations was published by a government-appointed expert, Sir George Bain. But the response from the Catholic Bishops in the North, including Archbishop Sean Brady, is an attack on the proposed changes. They claim the reforms would radically undermine the Catholic education system. One of the recommendations would remove powers from the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. However, Mr Hain appears determined to press ahead with change because he feels the way resources are used in the North would not be tolerated elsewhere in the UK.

I haven't looked for any figures, but I would imagine that non-religious schools in Northern Ireland are even scarcer than they are down south of the border, so I'd suspect that this "serious threat" looks like like it's little more than hot air.

Comments?

5uspect

I wonder with the suggested school closures and amalgamations will we see more scenes like were seen at the Holy Cross school a few years ago?

Isn't this move necessary tho? Surely areas where these two "Christian sects" are educated together get along better and suffer less sectarian hate than the more isolated areas. (Goes to Google stats). How can these Bishops seriously put the idea of potential peace and an end to sectarian hate after their will to spread their faith. This is the one of the most troubling thing about religion.

Edit: Ah the BBC to the rescue!

lostexpectation

robindch wrote:

The following was in this evening's RTE News Update email:I haven't looked for any figures, but I would imagine that non-religious schools in Northern Ireland are even scarcer than they are down south of the border, so I'd suspect that this "serious threat" looks like like it's little more than hot air.

Comments?

I don't know what this story is about though, religion, population, money, councils, sectarian overlap, immigration, education, privitation/academys?

Dades

I bet Richard Dawkins would be busting a vein if he read this.

Given his determination that there is no such thing as a "catholic/protestant child", and that parents to blame for spreading the "virus" to their children before they are old enough to make their minds up.

If they amalgamated the schools they could always have orange uniforms for one sect and green for the other.