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Background

Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, has a relatively small population of 1.6 million people. Following almost 30 years of civil unrest and violence the region is now enjoying relative peace and has a power-sharing devolved government representing both sides of the cultural, political and religious divide.

While a majority of people in Northern Ireland still identify with the religious labels of Protestant and Catholic (whether or not they are religious), there has been a steady growth in the presence and visibility of people from other faiths, cultures and ethnic groups, especially since the end of the political violence. While it is still possible to describe Northern Ireland as a traditionally divided society, it is now also increasingly diverse.

Compulsory schooling takes place from age 4 to 16, though many young people stay on in school until they are 18. About 90% of the children in the province attend schools which serve their perceived religious/cultural community – either Catholic Maintained schools or (State) Controlled schools. While virtually all schools are fully state funded, Catholic schools continue to enjoy the right to teach the Catholic faith and there is an expectation that pupils in Catholic primary schools will be prepared for the sacraments of first confession, first communion and confirmation. Controlled schools, while they serve mainly the Protestant community, are officially non-denominational and must not promote the teachings of any specific Christian tradition. With only a few exceptions there is little population overlap or cross-over between these school systems and many people describe schooling in Northern Ireland as “segregated” or “separate”. Since 1981 an additional system of Integrated (shared) schools has been developing with the intention of serving the different communities in roughly equal numbers. At the time of writing (2008) there are over 60 such schools serving approximately 6% of the school-going population.

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The Core Syllabus for R.E.

Religious Education in Northern Ireland, unlike much of the rest of the UK, has remained traditionally conservative and firmly Christian-based. It is a compulsory subject in both primary and post-primary schools and since the early 1990s schools have been obliged by law to follow the Core Syllabus for Religious Education which was devised by representatives of the four largest Christian denominations in Northern Ireland (Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist). While all kinds of schools officially follow the Core Syllabus, Catholic schools have continued to use their existing catechetical programmes, arguing that everything in the Syllabus is covered in them. In most Controlled schools R.E. tends to be very Biblical in content, while in many of the Integrated schools there is an attempt to include a more multicultural approach. In reality the approach to teaching Religious Education in all kinds of schools can vary widely depending on a school’s ethos, parental demands and an individual teacher’s interests.

In 2007 a Revised Core Syllabus, prepared by the same four denominations, was approved and introduced into schools. The content of the Syllabus for most age groups is built around three “Learning Objectives”: The Revelation of God, The Christian Church and (Christian) Morality. The Revised Syllabus also includes a fourth learning objective, World Faiths, though only for pupils aged 11 to 14 (Key Stage 3). While this has enabled new learning opportunities for post-primary RE, the Churches have continued to argue strongly against any inclusion of world religions in primary schools on the grounds that it “confuses pupils”.

Education for Tolerance and Mutual Respect

Since the 1970s there have been various attempts through the school curriculum to promote cross-community awareness and understanding. In the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum primary schools must now include Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (PDMU), and post-primary schools must include Local and Global Citizenship, both of which focus on issues of cultural and religious diversity, interdependence, relationships and conflict resolution, with reference to local and international contexts. While some teachers of Religious Education have been very committed to these areas others have avoided what they perceive as the difficult and contentious issues that might arise in classrooms.

These curriculum innovations are now supported by government policy on “A Shared Future” (2005) which requires schools to ensure “through their policies, structures and curriculae, that pupils are consciously prepared for life in a diverse and inter-cultural society and world”.

Current Issues

The approach and status of the Core Syllabus continues to be a matter of controversy within educational and other groups. Of particular concern has been the lack of any involvement in the preparation of the syllabus by members of minority faith communities, and it remains the case that the great majority of teachers and student teachers in Northern Ireland, including R.E. specialists, have had no personal or professional experience of learning about faiths other than Christianity. This lack of recognition of the significance of religious diversity seems very much at odds with the “Shared Future” policy cited above.

Despite pressure from various groups for a more plural and inclusive approach, the general approach of the revised R.E. syllabus was little changed in style or content from the previous version. The Churches have continued to argue for an approach to R.E. that is “essentially Christian”, although the Department of Education has encouraged schools to teach ‘beyond’ the Core Syllabus. In a report by the Northern Ireland Education and Training Inspectorate, ‘Evaluating Religious Education’ (2000), it was stated that:

In practice, however, many teachers do not do this, even if they are sympathetic to the idea of a broader approach to RE, because they suggest that there is no time to teach other material.

Pressure has continued on the Department of Education, especially by groups focusing on inter-faith or inter-ethnic relations, equality and human rights, in opposition to the exclusive role of the Churches in the production of the Core Syllabus and in favour of a more inclusive and intercultural approach, but so far such arguments have made little or no impact.

Some teachers have expressed their concerns that Religious Education will gradually be replaced in the curriculum by the newer areas of Citizenship and PDMU, which they may perceive to be “secular alternatives” to RE. Others, however, have preferred to view the two areas as complimentary and mutually supportive.

Integrated schooling also continues to be very controversial, despite evidence from opinion polls that it is favoured in principle by a majority of people in Northern Ireland. The Catholic hierarchy is strongly opposed to integrated schools and continues to argue that Catholic parents should send their children to Catholic schools. Others argue that this imposes separation even on those who do not want it.

The quality of RE teaching in many schools, particularly at the primary level, gives cause for concern. Limited numbers of trained RE specialists and a lack of continuing professional development in the area has led to extremely variable approaches, especially in the Controlled and Integrated schools. Significant research and development will be required if there is to be any coherent improvement.

Norman Richardson (Lecturer in RS in teacher education courses at Stranmillis University College, Belfast.)

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