Around 90% of trainee primary teachers say they are Roman Catholics, compared to just 78% of the general population. The study by NUI Galway surveyed applicants and trainees to primary teaching courses across the country. Just over half considered themselves religious, a quarter said they weren’t religious, while 1.4% said they were convinced atheists. However, they did note that despite the high number of Catholics, there was very little support for purely Catholic religious instruction, with all respondents in favour of teaching children about all faiths. Researchers say that it indicates that teachers are complying with teaching religion rather than expressly endorsing or rejecting it.

Source: Evening echo January 18, 2018 12:56 UTC