New subject: Primary school students in Ireland will learn about atheism

Atheists in Ireland have secured the right to teach primary school children that God does not exist.

In an education system traditionally dominated by the Catholic Church, the first curriculum for atheism aimed at thousands of primary school children in Ireland has recently been included. The plan was drawn up by Atieisti Ireland.

Up to 16.000 primary school children, who will go to Irish schools that are not under the supervision of the church, will have the opportunity to study atheism as part of the study of ethics and belief systems, the "Guardian" reported.

Michael Nuggett, co-founder of Atheists Ireland, emphasized that primary school students, including those attending Catholic Church-run schools, can access their atheism course online or through a smartphone app.

"There will be a 10-hour module, lasting from 30 to 40 minutes, for all people over the age of four. This is necessary because the Irish education system has been biased in favor of religious indoctrination for too long. And if parents whose children are in schools controlled by the church and do not want them to learn about religion (which is their right), they can choose our course as an alternative for their children," he said.

"Religion is not adequately taught as a subject that is objective, in which many different religions and their origins are studied and explained. That teaching is primarily aimed at creating believers, not objective education. We see our course as a chance for Irish children to get an alternative view of how the world works.

Religion, Education and the Republic of Ireland

Since the founding of the Republic of Ireland, the Catholic Church has controlled up to 93 percent of the country's total of 3.200 primary schools.

The fact that the Catholic Church has a near monopoly in the education sector means that the supreme authority in each school rests with the local bishop.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has the main floor in around 470 primary schools. For all schools controlled by the Catholic Church, the costs are borne by Irish taxpayers and not by the church.