What sort of Religious Education is appropriate for Northern Ireland? A response to the CCEA GCSE RE Review.

One of the positives of my job as a teacher educator is that I regularly get to talk with student teachers of RE about their ideals and vision for their profession and the subject as a whole. While there is variety in what they see as the ultimate goal of religious education, the most persistent aspiration is that the subject will contribute to a more cohesive society. This is often articulated with reference to both sectarianism and the many examples of hate-crimes in Northern Ireland against those of minority faith traditions in the region. What young teachers of the subject seem to hold instinctively is the conviction that the type of religious education appropriate for Northern Ireland is one which recognises the reality of religious difference; acknowledges that negative and harmful expressions of religion exist; understands the importance of using education as a vehicle to explore those differences and address negative stereotypes as well as providing accurate knowledge of religions.

At the time of writing, a review of the GCSE Specification for RE is currently being undertaken by the local exam board, CCEA, and so it seems an apt time for a wider debate around the kind of religious education we, as a society, see as appropriate for the future citizens, workers and leaders of the region.

What kind of religious education is appropriate for Northern Ireland?

To explore this question in more detail we might break it down further: what kind of religious education is appropriate for a post-conflict society where religion has been a significant marker of division? What type of religious education is most appropriate for a society learning to live with the religious traditions of new-comers to its shores? What type of religious education is appropriate in a school system with a pupil population that remains largely divided by religion? What kind of religious education is appropriate in a region where schools with a Christian ethos predominate? 

To respond to a review of the GCSE requires us to stand back and consider responses to these challenging questions. Of course, the responses evoked by these questions will be many and varied but in formulating an answer it is important to be mindful of the recent Living with Difference report on religious education (discussed in another post on this blog) which makes a strong case for issues of religious plurality (internal and external to faith traditions) to be taken seriously when studying religion and for secular perspectives to be included when studying world-views in schools.

Guiding principles

If we are to take plurality seriously and if we agree that a core function of religious education is to contribute to a more cohesive society then it is possible to take a step closer to knowing what an appropriate religious education in Northern Ireland might look like. What follows are five principles which I believe could be foundational in developing a religious education appropriate for Northern Ireland as we look forward:

 An appropriate religious education for Northern Ireland should: 

1. Adopt an inclusive approach which truly reflects the plurality of religious belief in the region and does not exclude those with non-religious perspectives, but reflects the fact that Christianity remains the dominant religious tradition
2. Help pupils to become aware of the complexity of religious difference in their society including diversity within Christian traditions and in the range of other religious and non-religious traditions which exist locally 
3. Encourage inter-belief dialogue, that is, dialogue within and between faith traditions as well as with those of no religion and provide pupils with the skills and competencies to do so
4. Equip pupils to deal with sectarianism, stereotyping and prejudice and to explore the many efforts, past and present, of those who have promoted reconciliation and championed dialogue between those with conflicting beliefs

What sort of curriculum at Key Stage 4 would satisfy these principles? 

If we accept these principles then substantial changes are required to the current CCEA GCSE Specification. At present schools have the option of choosing one module (for a short course GCSE) or two modules (for a full course GCSE) from a list of 8 modules (listed below). This means many pupils study religious education at Key Stage 4 through the lens of a single religion or denomination (the most popular choices are shown in a separate post on this blog).

Changes based on the guiding principles above would guarantee that all pupils have access to knowledge and skills which would equip them to live with diversity and prepare them to dialogue with others about philosophical, theological and ethical questions in ways that are respectful, informed and self-reflective, whatever modules they might choose within the Specification. Such changes might include the following:

1. A statement of a 'minimum entitlement' of content and skills which should be common for all students of RE, in addition to the options chosen. This would focus upon themes of diversity and dialogue. Indicative content could be: religious conflict, sectarianism, reconciliation, ecumenism, local religious diversity, humanism and secularism, inter-faith dialogue, religion and education. Skills could include: the ability to understand and explore diversity in religion and belief in my community; the ability to participate in inter-belief dialogue; and the ability to reflect upon inter-belief encounters. Both content and skills could be assessed in creative ways using 'Controlled Assessment' methods already used by other subjects. 

2. In conformity with the requirement of the Northern Ireland Core Syllabus for RE, the study of the Christian church should not be limited to a single tradition and always require the study of one Protestant tradition and the Catholic Church. 

3. To make it more inclusive, the ethical module should be renamed 'Ethical Perspectives' and students should be provided with content which makes it possible for a range of religious and non-religious perspectives to be included. Any Specification would reflect principle 1 above in terms of the content covered.

4. To make it more inclusive, the content of the Philosophy module should be adjusted to make it possible for a wider range of religious and non-religious perspectives to be included. Any Specification would reflect principle 1 above in terms of the content covered.

This is not an exhaustive list but it does illustrate some of the changes that are needed if we aim for a religious education that is appropriate for a society which has more work to do in coming to terms with its historical religious differences as well as adjusting to the increasing plurality of beliefs of a new generation of young people.

Whether you agree or disagree, you will be able to have your say until 19 Feb by responding to the consultation.



Current CCEA GCSE modules:

• The Christian Church through a Study of the Catholic Church and One Protestant Tradition;
• The Christian Church with a Focus on EITHER the Catholic Church OR the Protestant Tradition;
• The Revelation of God and the Christian Church;
• Christianity through a Study of the Gospel of Matthew;
• Christianity through a Study of the Gospel of Mark;
• World Religions: Islam;
• World Religions: Judaism;
• An Introduction to Christian Ethics; and/or 
• An Introduction to Philosophy of Religion.