The Dáil has debated a Social Democrats’ motion calling on the Government to remove religious patronage in public education and to increase the number of multi-denominational schools in the State. While the Social Democrats called for the removal of faith formation – joined by other TDs in Labour, Sinn Féin, and Fine Gael – TDs from Independent Ireland and Aontú argued against the motion.
Opponents of the motion, which seeks to ensure that all new schools are opened under non-religious patronage, have argued that many families are happy with a Catholic ethos in schools, and that Christian values instilled in pupils are beneficial – while the Social Democrats claimed that teachers face religious discrimination.
‘THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES WHO ARE HAPPY WITH SCHOOL ETHOS’
Deputy Paul Lawless of Aontú pointed out that “thousands” of families exist across the country who are happy with the ethos of the schools their children attend. Speaking against the motion, he said that it sought to deny parents and staff “the ability to decide” the ethos of their school.
Deputy Lawless said: “I read the motion and I listened to the Social Democrats’ contributions. To be honest I am quite surprised. They talk about pluralism and choice but it seems that the only choice they want to provide is the choice of those people who agree with them.
“There are thousands of families who are happy with the ethos of their school and who support the ethos of their school. Yet the motion seeks to deny parents, principals, teachers, and boards of management the ability to decide the ethos of their school. There is nothing pluralistic about this motion. I believe that pluralism is about inclusion and supporting the diversity in our culture. This is what we should be doing.”
On the support for divestment, Lawless said that his party believes that parents should have a choice.
“The choice must acknowledge and must recognise that where parents decide they support the ethos of their school the Social Democrats should not overrule or override that. This is what choice and pluralism actually means.”
The Mayo TD claimed that the motion sought to “ban new schools” in terms of faith patronage, and to ban faith instruction, adding: “There is nothing pluralistic about that.”
“What other countries in the world have sought to ban education pluralism? North Korea and Cuba. Those countries are not something we should be following. Politicians should never try to enforce their own rules on the public. We should celebrate the differences in our society and allow culture to be supported. I come from a teaching background. All children should be supported and families who wish to have their children in a school that is similar to their ethos should be supported. I am really disappointed that this is not captured in the motion.”
During Thursday’s debate on the Private Members’ motion on Parental Choice in Education, the Social Democrats claimed that teachers and education staff in Ireland “currently face religious discrimination” because they are not protected under section 37 of the Employment Equality Act.
“This needs to end. There is no excuse for this in 2025. We must also remove the need for student teachers to have to do a religious certificate to teach in State-funded schools. This is divisive,” Deputy Jen Cummins said. She called on the Government to establish a citizen’s assembly on the issue, saying that the Soc Dems are seeking a full citizens’ assembly.
“The Social Democrats are looking for the Government to reinstate the abandoned commitment to have 400 multidenominational schools by 2030, to adopt a policy that all new schools are opened under non-religious patronage, to remove faith formation from the school day with it to take place outside of school hours in line with families’ beliefs,” Cummins told the House.
The TD added that the party was pushing “to create a clear and independent mechanism for patronage change” via the establishment of a statutory framework for changing school patronage with independent oversight to avoid conflicts of interest by existing patrons, and to amend the Employment Equality Act and to establish a citizens’ assembly to make recommendations on the future of the education system.
Sinn Féin TDs expressed broad support for the motion, as the Dail heard that the party has “a long-standing policy on choice and diversification” and that in its 2024 manifesto, the party had “committed to developing a new strategy to support existing and emerging demands for diversification of patronage in school.” Party TDs argued that all new schools should be “nondenominational by default” to provide for diversity. Deputy Connor McGuinness said such a system “would ensure no family is forced to send their children into a system or ethos that does not respect their values.”
‘NO PROBLEM SUPPORTING GENDER IDEOLOGY IN SCHOOLS’
Deputy Lawless pointed to Article 42 of the Constitution which states that parents are the primary educators for their child.
“In that sense I do support the Minister’s contribution earlier today around the survey that would seek to acknowledge that and support this in the education system. It is curious that the Social Democrats advocate for the removal of faith because of its perceived lack of evidence and yet they have no problem supporting a gender ideology in schools and puberty blockers, which have no basis in education at all,” he said.
“The Minister referred earlier to a recent survey from the INTO at the conference. It stated that 60% of teachers voted against removing faith in education in our schools. They did so because parents actually do not support its removal. This is the case in many schools, I am not saying all. That is our perspective and that should be supported. Where, as the survey dictates, parents are happy with their school ethos then we should support that. The Irish Times also found that 70% of parents want their children to receive faith-based instruction. I ask the Minister to consider this contribution as well.”
Leader of Independent Ireland, Michael Collins, also spoke out strongly against the motion.
“I have listened carefully today to all the reasons we should remove church patronage. There are also those of us who oppose these statements and who argue that religious institutions play a significant role in the community and that their influence should be preserved.
‘VALUES HELP TO SHAPE WELL-ROUNDED INDIVIDUALS’
“Along with many others, I worry that phasing out religious patronage could disrupt existing school structures and community ties. Independent Ireland will stand firmly against this motion and I urge the Minister to consider the numerous benefits religious patronage brings to our schools and communities. Catholic schools and other religious institutions provide an education grounded in strong moral and ethical values,” the Deputy said.
“These values, such as respect, compassion, integrity and service to others, are not just taught but woven into the very fabric of the school environment. They help to shape well-rounded individuals who are not only academically proficient, but also morally grounded and socially responsible. Religious schools foster a strong sense of community and belonging for many families. These schools are more than just educational institutions. They are an integral part of their communities’ cultural identity.”
Collins also said that the focus should be on securing Department funding for schools rather than on the issue of religious patronage.
“A total of 93% of schools in this country have a religious patronage. I feel that this motion should not be able to attack the religious. It should be attacking the Department for not funding schools properly. For example, in Dublin recently a school was almost faced with closure. This is happening the length and breadth of the country. I can only talk on behalf of the school where I was chairperson of the board of management. When we were stuck and the Department failed to step in it was the church that stepped in to look after the children’s needs and the school’s needs. The church stepped in there. That is an incredible situation that nobody wants to acknowledge. “
Recently elected Social Democrats TD Deputy Sinéad Gibney told the Dáil of her own personal experience, explaining that she and her daughter “are both atheists.”
“I will talk about my personal experience in this regard. When I raised my daughter as a single parent, I came to second-level education choices with two clear asks. I wanted her to remain in a coeducational setting, which she had enjoyed in primary school, and I wanted her to enjoy multidenominational or interdenominational education. We are both atheists,” Deputy Gibney said.
“I had two options available, one fee-paying and one non fee-paying. We applied for both, but it did not look like we were going to be accepted to the non fee-paying option so we signed up for the fee-paying option. We bought uniforms, picked subjects and planned everything. Three weeks before the start of school, my daughter was accepted to the non fee-paying school. That changed our lives. It was the reason I was able to leave the corporate sector.”
The Social Democrats have been clear that they want to see a policy where all future schools are opened under non-religious patronage. In addition, they have called for faith formation to be removed from the classroom.