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News
Transferors welcome review of religious education in Northern Ireland
The Transferor Representatives’ Council, representing the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian Church, and Methodist Church, has made the following statement on the announcement made by Education Minister Paul Givan MLA to the Northern Ireland Assembly this morning:
The Transferor Representatives’ Council (TRC) welcome the Minister’s announcement today that he is to conduct a review of the RE curriculum, for which we have been calling for a number of years. The TRC is fully committed to engaging in the consultative group and we also welcome the Minister’s decision to respond to our request that RE is included as part of the general inspection process in schools. We further welcome clarification on the right of withdrawal from Collective Worship and RE.
Religious Education (RE) is one of the most important subjects on the curriculum, as it considers life’s big questions, provides a roadmap for navigating life’s ups and downs, and presents opportunities to learn about what Christians and others believe. We remain committed to supporting schools in providing high-quality balanced RE and meaningful Collective Worship, which reflects the Christian ethos of all of our schools and is consistent with the rights of all children. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the Christian ethos remains and underpins our education system.
The Transferor Representatives’ Council oversees the appointment of over 1,500 governors to controlled schools; these transferor governors are nominated by representatives of the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, and noted by the Education Authority.