At the annual conferences of both the Presbyterian and Church of Ireland churches the respective Boards of Education expressed their concern over the current support for RE and RE teachers from the Education and Library Boards. This has been caused, they believe, by the uncertainty over the establishment of the Education and Skills Authority (ESA). As a result, they say, there is 'a deficit in the support of RE teachers and teaching.' For some time now, Education and Library Boards have chosen not to fill their vacant posts for RE Board Officers. This has resulted in a significant depletion of personnel and, consequently, the scaling back of support activity for RE in the boards.
This comes at a time when the churches are also concerned about the impact the establishment of the ESA may have upon the status and ethos of Controlled schools. The Presbyterian Church notes that proposals currently under discussion have the potential to radically alter their ownership rights in education: 'The proposals not only break faith with our existing legal rights but wantonly disregard our denomination’s longstanding commitment and contribution to the educational enterprise for all our children and young people. Moreover, whilst other sectors of education could consolidate their position, the Controlled sector’s ability to meaningfully engage in future developments would be undermined through lack of coherence and not having the privileges ownership confers.'
The full reports can be found at:
http://www.presbyterianireland.org/assembly/pdfs/Education.pdf
http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/2010/reports/32.pdf
This comes at a time when the churches are also concerned about the impact the establishment of the ESA may have upon the status and ethos of Controlled schools. The Presbyterian Church notes that proposals currently under discussion have the potential to radically alter their ownership rights in education: 'The proposals not only break faith with our existing legal rights but wantonly disregard our denomination’s longstanding commitment and contribution to the educational enterprise for all our children and young people. Moreover, whilst other sectors of education could consolidate their position, the Controlled sector’s ability to meaningfully engage in future developments would be undermined through lack of coherence and not having the privileges ownership confers.'
The full reports can be found at:
http://www.presbyterianireland.org/assembly/pdfs/Education.pdf
http://ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/pdf/Synod/2010/reports/32.pdf
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