Ulster University report finds that religious barriers are still in place
New laws on employment of teachers in Northern Ireland schools have “not made any great change” to the make-up of the workforce, research from Ulster University has found.
The latest paper in the university’s Transforming Education series looked specifically at the impact of the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act, which came into effect in May 2024.
Previously, Education Minister Paul Givan said in response to an Assembly Question from Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson on the topic: “My department has ensured that the Fair Employment (School Teachers) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 has been implemented across all grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland.”
He also admitted the department hadn’t assessed the impact.
The repeal of the legislation, which had allowed schools to employ teachers based on religion, exempt from fair employment legislation in other sectors, also paved the way for mandatory monitoring for the first time in the country’s educational history.
By Dr Matt Milliken, lead author of the research paper, said the report shows that Maintained schools continue to show very high Catholic workforce dominance, while Controlled schools still show minimal Catholic representation.
“The paper confirms that, since the Act took effect in May 2024, there has been little progress by employing authorities in monitoring the community background of applicants for teaching posts and existing staff, or in...
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