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The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the Christian religious education (RE) provided in Northern Ireland’s primary schools is unlawful. This unanimous decision came after an appeal was lodged by a father and daughter from the region, challenging the nature of religious instruction in schools. Previously, in 2022, a High Court in Belfast had found the Christian-based RE unlawful. However, this ruling was initially overturned on appeal by the Department of Education (DE). The Supreme Court’s latest ruling, delivered on Wednesday, overturned the Department’s successful appeal, siding instead with the father and daughter’s case.
The case centers on the experience of a young girl who attended a primary school from ages four to seven, where she was taught Christian religious education and participated in collective worship. The legal challenge argued that the manner in which these teachings were delivered lacked objectivity and pluralism and that the burden placed on parents who wished to withdraw their children from RE and worship activities was excessive. The court highlighted that singling out a child who did not participate could lead to stigma, making the option to withdraw from RE an “undue burden” on families.
The Supreme Court upheld the original 2022 High Court judgement, reiterating that religious education and worship practices in these schools follow the syllabus set by the Department of Education but are not delivered in a way that is “objective, critical, and pluralistic.” The ruling clarified that this judgement does not question the role of religious education in schools per se, but rather demands a revision in the content and delivery style to prevent indoctrination. The family at the center of this case supports the concept of providing religious education, so long as it avoids imposing a specific religious viewpoint.
Origins of the legal action date back to 2019 when the parents of the girl, attending a state-controlled school in Belfast, expressed concerns about the Christian teachings not aligning with their own beliefs. They queried the school about inspection mechanisms ensuring balanced religious education. The school responded that its instruction was Bible-based and adhered to the Department of Education’s core syllabus. The family argued that their rights, which include the state’s responsibility to respect parents’ religious and philosophical convictions in education, had been violated. Representing the family, Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law described the Supreme Court’s decision as “a watershed moment for educational rights” in Northern Ireland, emphasizing that relying solely on withdrawal options to justify religious teaching is no longer acceptable and does not protect children from being “singled out or stigmatised” because of differing family beliefs
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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