![[Ireland] Consultation to include teachers in fair employment legislation](http://gpa.net/cdn/shop/articles/bigstock-Portrait-Of-Talking-Middle-age-397610033_1200x.jpg?v=1618941268)
The chairman of the assembly education committee is seeking views on laws that allow schools appointing teachers to discriminate on the grounds of religion, The Irish News reports.
An exception to the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (FETO) means schools are currently allowed to use religious belief to discriminate between candidates for posts. The exception has been justified by the fact that all grant-aided schools are required by law to provide a daily act of collective worship and religious education in line with a specified Christian core syllabus.
Unions have called for it to be scrapped.
Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle has now launched a consultation into a proposed private member's bill "to tackle the exclusion of teaching from fair employment legislation". Mr Lyttle said he believed there was increasing agreement that it is unacceptable for teachers to be excluded from protections against religious discrimination in employment.
"Research carried out by the UNESCO Education Centre at Ulster University suggests only two per cent of teachers in Catholic primary schools are from a Protestant background, and in primary schools with mainly Protestant pupils, only seven per cent of teachers are from a Catholic background," Mr Lyttle said.
"I am therefore seeking the views of the public to ask if they agree teachers should be included in the Fair Employment and Treatment Order and propose to make this change by way of a private member's bill at the assembly.”
Source: The Irish News
(Quote via original reporting)
The chairman of the assembly education committee is seeking views on laws that allow schools appointing teachers to discriminate on the grounds of religion, The Irish News reports.
An exception to the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (FETO) means schools are currently allowed to use religious belief to discriminate between candidates for posts. The exception has been justified by the fact that all grant-aided schools are required by law to provide a daily act of collective worship and religious education in line with a specified Christian core syllabus.
Unions have called for it to be scrapped.
Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle has now launched a consultation into a proposed private member's bill "to tackle the exclusion of teaching from fair employment legislation". Mr Lyttle said he believed there was increasing agreement that it is unacceptable for teachers to be excluded from protections against religious discrimination in employment.
"Research carried out by the UNESCO Education Centre at Ulster University suggests only two per cent of teachers in Catholic primary schools are from a Protestant background, and in primary schools with mainly Protestant pupils, only seven per cent of teachers are from a Catholic background," Mr Lyttle said.
"I am therefore seeking the views of the public to ask if they agree teachers should be included in the Fair Employment and Treatment Order and propose to make this change by way of a private member's bill at the assembly.”
Source: The Irish News
(Quote via original reporting)
