Why the Teachers that Spoke to the Religion Motion are Heroes
When I thought about it, 3rd April 2024 was a good day, perhaps even historic. A motion was passed at INTO Congress that the role of religious organisations in Irish primary schools need to be examined. Several teachers spoke about the role of religion in schools and how it had to change. Most of them that spoke, work in Catholic schools. By speaking out, they took a risk of being disciplined for undermining their schools’ ethos. And still they did it. In some ways, I see that as acts of heroism.
Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act allows schools to protect themselves from anyone who might “undermine the school’s ethos.” In religious schools this definition is so broad that it’s impossible to define. In a not-so-distant era, this might have been a female teacher giving birth outside of wedlock. Until 2015, it meant being LGBT+ was enough to be let go, as Conor Bredin famously experienced.
It could mean practicing Yoga.
However, it could mean anything that goes against the ethos of the school, and given it could be anything, it means simply criticising or questioning practices could mean you could end up unemployable. Hence even the least religious teacher will play along and pray along to get along. It’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Irish-style.
The teachers that spoke up at the INTO Congress are unlikely to be fired for speaking out but, depending on their school, they might find they might be passed over for a position of responsibility. They might find themselves not being allocated their choice of class. They might find themselves being left on their own if a difficult situation arises in their classroom. They might find themselves overlooked if they apply for a position in another school. They might even get a private pat on the back from their principal before being told to maybe keep their head down. In most cases, nothing will happen.
Unfortunately, none of those speakers know what the reaction will be for their calls to remove the religious certificate, and some may never know. However, they took that risk and I am grateful to them.
