Ireland may require referendum to end religious bias by schools

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/15/ireland-require-referendum-end-religious-bias-schools

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Ireland may have to hold a referendum to end discrimination in its schools against non-Catholic children, the United Nations has been told.

Irish cabinet minister James Reilly said that changing school admission policies could require a vote to amend the republic’s Catholic-influenced constitution.

Reilly also accepted it was wrong that a child should have to be baptised to obtain a school place.

A number of secular organisations, including Atheist Ireland, were in Geneva this week lobbying the UN committee on children’s rights to take Ireland to task over its schools admission policies, which they claim favour children of religious and mainly Catholic parents.

Speaking to the UN committee, Reilly said: “These schools are provided by the state. They are paid for by the state. I don’t believe it is appropriate that a child should have to be baptised to go to school.”

Asked how the next government could address the issue – Ireland is expected to go to the polls at the end of February in the general election – the minister for children and youth affairs said it would require constitutional change to reform school admissions.

“The only way to get forward movement on this might be in the next government; that is in the citizen’s convention, this issue could be considered and see what is the best way forward.”

Reilly said a future referendum to amend the constitution was “the advice we have” on the issue. Any reform that affects the Irish constitution has to be put to the people in a referendum.

But Atheist Ireland criticised the minister’s refusal to withdraw public funding for any school that discriminated against children of atheist parents.

Michael Nugent, one of the group’s co-founders, said: “Atheist Ireland is pleased that the UN raised the problem of religion being integrated throughout the curriculum in Irish schools, as well as its consistent calls to Ireland to provide nondenominational schools, end religious discrimination in school access, and enable opt-outs from faith formation.

“The Irish state’s responses were typically misleading. They raised the admissions to schools bill without admitting that it retains the right to discriminate against children on the ground of religion, and they described as ‘slower than desired’ the flawed plan to divest patronage of schools that has effectively ground to a halt.”