Parents will have to opt their children into religious instruction in State secondary schools under new directions to be issued shortly. As schools will be required to ensure students who do not take religious instruction are provided with another subject on the timetable, this means in effect that students who choose religious instruction must opt-out of regular, timetabled classes.

The Irish Times has learned that a new Department of Education circular will clarify requirements aimed at giving greater rights to non-religious and minority faith students in about half of secondary schools. Under the new rule, there will be an automatic assumption that children are not taking religious instruction, unless parents have requested admission to the class. The changes will affect about 160,000 secondary school students, or almost half the entire secondary school population.