Sir, – Apart from the fallacy that religious indoctrination enhances literacy and numeracy, Dr Daniel O’Connell (January 29th) must be aware that there are parents who would not have their children in a religious class even if it were to guarantee them a PhD.
At the same time as he made his suggestion that religion should give way to basic literacy and numeracy teaching, the Minister for Education also disclosed that the divestment of schools by religious patrons is simply not happening, despite all the talks and consultations that have taken place. This means that there are still many parents who are in the invidious position of either marking their children as being apart from their peers by extracting them from religious instruction proper, or putting up with them being indoctrinated. This is to say nothing of the injustice that is the integrated curriculum, where religious dogma is presented, unquestioningly, in all other subjects throughout the school day, or the widespread religious iconography in the schools.
It is open to suggestion that those who insist on religious instruction at the expense of basic literacy and numeracy are afraid of the better informed and more rational adults that would result from teachers accepting the Minister’s suggestion. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS McKENNA,
Farrenboley Park,
Windy Arbour,
Dublin 14.