Anti-racism body calls for review of ethos exemption as concerns mount over admission practices
Religious discrimination in Irish school admissions may still be occurring “in practice” despite legal protections, according to a new report from the Council of Europe’s anti-racism body.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its assessment today examining Ireland’s five-year progress on anti-discrimination and anti-racism policies. While noting positive developments including a new national action plan against racism and draft LGBTIQ+ inclusion strategy, the report raised concerns about ongoing educational inequalities.
Although the 2018 Education (Admissions to Schools) Act prohibits using religion as a selection criterion, publicly-funded schools promoting religious values can refuse admission if “it is considered essential to maintain the ethos of the school.” A 2024 ECRI visit to Ireland found this exemption may enable continued discrimination in practice.
Historically, most Irish primary schools have been run by the Catholic Church with religious instruction embedded in curricula. While patronage transfers to secular bodies and establishment of multi-denominational schools represent progress, privately-funded religious schools can still give preferential treatment to pupils of particular faiths, ECRI noted.
The commission recommended reviewing existing legislation to ensure the religious ethos exemption doesn’t adversely impact educational access. It called for clarifying the definition of “ethos” and establishing clear criteria for when refusal is essential to maintaining school character, ensuring practices don’t constitute discrimination.
ECRI also noted that school ethos can impact delivery of relationship and sexuality education, raising additional concerns about educational equity.
The report highlighted that human rights education varies significantly across schools and teachers, recommending mandatory topics including combating racism and intolerance against Travellers, Roma, people of African descent, and LGBTI individuals.
Additional concerns included lack of teaching profession diversity and barriers facing educators from migrant, Traveller, and ethnic minority backgrounds.
ECRI also urged Ireland to introduce hate speech legislation “as a matter of priority” and improve accommodation quality for asylum seekers.