The census data is clear. Change is needed. Children who are not Catholic should not be obliged to listen to Catholic prayers every day in school, or to have to sit in a classroom while others receive Catholic faith formation, writes Emma O Kelly.
Earlier this year I was invited back to the convent primary school in Limerick city that I attended as a child to chat to 6th class pupils there about my career in journalism.
When it comes to its religious and ethnic make-up Fernbank is typical of so many primary schools now. This Catholic school estimates that around 65% of its girls come from families that are Catholic. That's a proportion that matches almost exactly the picture revealed by the latest data from the Central Statistics Office.
Last year, the parents of one quarter of children under the age of four ticked either the 'no religion’ box or ticked no box at all when asked about their child's religious affiliation, if any. Salesian Primary was one of a number of schools that participated in the latest Government and Catholic church backed initiative aimed at achieving change.
This was reflected elsewhere too. A report on the process in a North Dublin Suburb shows that many parents feared that in divesting their school from Catholic to multi-denominational status the very essence of their school - all that they valued about it - might be lost too. "It has a value system that people are happy with, parents know that for their children it’s a good place for them to be".
"The learning from the pilot includes the need to answer questions in a very objective way, because sometimes misinformation can thrive," she said.
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