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THE ISLAND OF Ireland is home to two highly disparate education systems between two different legal jurisdictions, and yet they bear one striking similarity; neither appears capable of shaking the long-held grip of religious indoctrination.

The UK Supreme Court ruled last year that Northern Ireland’s compulsory religious education provision is unlawful and does not comply with human rights standards, while in Ireland, 88% of state-funded primary schools remain under the patronage of the Catholic Church, with students receiving at least two hours of formal religious instruction per week.

Unlike many other Western democracies, education on this island has remained steeped in religious formation despite increased secularism and diversity within the population.

In response to the Supreme Court judgement, NI education minister Paul Givan has announced an independent review, while reiterating that Christianity will remain the core focus of any reformed curriculum.

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In Ireland, parents have a constitutional right to withdraw their child from religious formation, but without an alternative, this right in practice leaves many children either left at the back of the classroom to absorb the content anyway or secluded to an empty room.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are any number of modern education systems from which we can learn, and — especially with the prospect of constitutional change — examine as models for a new, all-island education system.

In Norway, where over 60 per cent of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, religious instruction can only entail the dissemination of information. Preaching or religious practice in education is forbidden; instead of religious education, students are taught a module on ‘Religion, Philosophies of Life and Ethics’.

In Finland, students have the right to select either an ethics or a religion class. Those who opt to study religion have the right to take part in classes examining their own faith,........

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