What is religious discrimination in education?
Discrimination by schools on the ground of religion means treating you or your child less favourably than someone who has a different religious belief (or no religious belief).
By law, schools must treat everyone equally. In general, schools must not discriminate against you or your child because your beliefs are different from theirs. However, in certain situations they may be allowed to take into account religious belief in making decisions on admissions.
In the legislation, the term ‘schools’ covers all public and private educational settings, including pre-school services, primary and post-primary schools, further education colleges and universities.
The laws on religious discrimination in schools are set out in:
- Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018 (sections 7 and 7a)
- Education Act 1998
- Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018 (section 29)
What is meant by schools?
Under the ESA, the term 'schools' include pre-school services, primary or post-primary schools, adult, continuing or further education and university or other third level institutions.
They include public and private educational establishments.
Who can you complain to?
Complaints under the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts are made to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
The WRC deals with claims related to employment and to services or goods, including education, housing, membership clubs and certain cases relating to pubs.
Note that there are very strict timeframes to complain.
What law protects you against discrimination in education?
The Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 (ESA) protect you from discrimination in education.
The ESA bans discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment when accessing education.
What rights do you have when accessing education?
Reasonable Accommodation
Schools must make ‘reasonable accommodation’ for students with a disability or special education needs.
Under a general policy of inclusiveness, students with disabilities or special education needs should go to mainstream schools, where possible. The law states that schools must do ‘all that is reasonable to accommodate the needs of a person with a disability’. This means schools must provide ‘reasonable accommodation’ (such as special treatment or facilities) that will enable a student with a disability to take part in education.
Making reasonable accommodation might involve, for example, providing assistive technology or sign language interpretation.
If a school fails to provide this reasonable accommodation for a child with a disability, it may amount to discrimination on the ground of disability.
Exceptions and Exemptions
There are some exceptions to the ESA relating to universities, third level or adult educational institutions
There are three general exemptions where universities, third level or adult educational institutions are allowed to treat people differently:
- Certain nationals of other countries
- Scholarships and other assistance
- Foreign exchange
Have you experienced discrimination for another reason?
Select the ground and area where you have experienced discrimination