Primary teachers want secular schools and an end to faith formation in classes, INTO survey finds

Most primary teachers want secular patrons for schools and believe faith formation should no longer take place in the classroom, according to a survey of Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) members

The findings are drawn from a representative sample of more than 1,000 INTO members who were surveyed earlier this year on religious education and school patronage in primary schools.

The vast majority of primary schools in the Republic (88 per cent) are under Catholic patronage, while the remainder are minority faith such as Church of Ireland (6 per cent) or multidenominational (6 per cent).

A breakdown of the survey results shows that while a majority (57 per cent) of INTO members believe faith formation should not take place in primary schools, a significant minority (43 per cent) support continuing the practice...
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