Sir, – Bill Toner SJ (Letters, December 18th) insists that a national school classroom is the appropriate place for religious instruction.
This may have been acceptable when all the children in the class as well as their teacher were of one religion.
In a 2019 classroom it is impossible to teach faith formation while respecting basic human rights as well as the statutory Teaching Council code of conduct for teachers.
Anyone who keeps insisting that their child has a right to faith formation in school is saying that other children are to be isolated or indoctrinated.
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Can it really be so difficult to send your child to faith formation classes outside of the formal school day?
Our national school system evolved around what divided us in the 19th century. It is time to develop a system around what unites us in the 21st century. – Yours, etc,
DERVAL DUGGAN,
Kilternan, Dublin 18.
Sir, – Bill Toner SJ conflates religious education, as mentioned in Art 42.1 of the Constitution with faith formation, which is what is practised by the Catholic Church (and others) in our schools.
I submit that religious education is a good thing. If all schools provided information, comparison and celebration of all faiths and none we might have a more understanding and compassionate society. If we all grew up alongside people comfortable in expressing their different faiths and respected them, we might have a more peaceful world. This could be a useful part of the school day.
Religious instruction or faith formation, on the other hand, is not the same as religious education but much narrow and doctrinaire.
This is the part that belongs outside school hours, paid for and supported by church teachers, available to those who wish it. – Yours, etc,
JOHN COLLINS,
Co Kilkenny.