Supreme Court Northern Ireland religious education: TUV says law requires 'Scriptural' RE
Despite the Supreme Court judgement critiquing the delivery of Religious Education in Northern Ireland, the law still requires the foundation of RE to be "Scriptural and Christian" the TUV has said.
On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled that the provision of Christian religious education in Northern Ireland schools does not comply with human rights standards and is unlawful.
However TUV councillor Keith Ratcliffe has said most commentary on the issue has overlooked that the law still requires RE in NI to be based on the bible.
“I am deeply concerned by the implications of the recent Supreme Court judgement on Religious Education and collective worship in our schools," he said.
"However, while the Court has expressed its view on how RE was delivered in one particular setting, it is vital to underline one critical fact which seems to have been lost in much of the commentary: the law has not changed.
“Article 21 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 remains firmly in place.
“It requires that religious education in controlled schools must be “undenominational… based upon the Holy Scriptures according to some authoritative version or versions thereof”.
“The judgement did not strike down this legislation. The law still mandates that the foundation of RE in Northern Ireland is Scriptural and Christian."
He added: “The task now falls squarely on the Education Minister. This judgement must not be used as a pretext to weaken or water down the Christian ethos of our schools. Instead, the Minister should reaffirm the statutory requirement that RE be taught on a Scriptural basis and ensure that collective worship in schools retains its broadly Christian character as required by law."
Meanwhile, all Ireland political party Aontú has raised the matter in the Dáil in Dublin.
Deputy leader Gemma Brolly said her party disagrees with the Supreme Court judgment.
"Aontú is a pluralist republican party,” she said. “We believe that all parents should be able to choose the ethos of the schools they send their children to.”
Aontú Mayo TD Paul Lawless raised the decision in the Dáil on Thursday, she said. He asked the Taoiseach to raise this decision with his British counterparts in London "to make sure that all parents have the choice to send their children to a school of their ethos".