Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics (aka as ERB and Ethics) undoubtedly presents very serious challenges for Catholic primary schools and for all faith schools.

ERB does not nurture the belief or practice of any one religion. Its secular approach is at odds with that of a Catholic school where the Catholic faith is embraced. A faith school is defined by its faith whereas the ERB proposal very clearly puts no faith in religion.  We can anticipate the difficulty for a Catholic child learning about religion in these two very, very different ways.

Consultation Process

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) are conducting a public consultation about proposals for a curriculum in Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics.  The NCCA published a consultation paper in November 2015 and have invited submissions by March 30th.

Written submissions can be sent to:

Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics Consultation,
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment,
35 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2