Abstract
Does Religious Education have a future? It could be argued that in the contemporary Irish context, Religious Education in Catholic schools faces a most precarious future. Globally, debating the nature and purpose of Religious Education has received significant attention, with a key debate being on its educational value. Proposals for the redrafting of the Primary School Curriculum has sharpened the focus on Religious Education in a State designed and funded curriculum. Religious Education, up until recently, ‘has been understood in Ireland, generally, as a presumed, necessary and helpful part of the curriculum at both primary and second-level schools’ by Byrne (in Religious education in catholic schools: perspectives from Ireland and the UK, Peter Lang, Oxford, 2018). In the contemporary climate, however, it occupies a much contested space. This chapter explores some of the subsequent emerging challenges and implications for Religious Education in Irish Catholic schools at primary level and possible pathways for navigating future directions.
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Dineen, F. (2021). Religious Education in Catholic Schools: Troubling Times or Routine Ructions?. In: Whittle, S. (eds) Irish and British Reflections on Catholic Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9188-4_15
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