There's been a lot of upset about the new guidelines for Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in Ireland's Catholic schools. There have been calls to make RSE secular and science or rights-based. Not surprising, and I don't like the guidelines. But a few things:

Ireland technically has a secular education system, in the sense that the state enables private patrons to establish their own schools. Of course in the Irish context this secularism is a fig-leaf for majoritarianism. Opting-out from Catholic teaching is actively disabled.

Secularising RSE in Ireland's schools won't happen unless there is a systemic shift in the ownership & running of schools. But calling for a greater choice of schools hasn't been working at scale: the govt interpret this as leaving change to private citizens and organisations.

While Catholic (and some non-Catholic) families are often less attached to aspects of Catholicism, they are often more attached to Catholic schools as they are (1) available and (2) tradition/what is known, while also being part of a complex local class and race dynamics.

There's not much point in questioning the authenticity of families attached to Catholic schools but not religiously observant. Often this leads to the judging and shaming of families and children (e.g. girls, Traveller and lower-income communities at first communion time).

Ireland's patron-led school system is a colonial-origin, ultimately sectarian system. Attempts a decade ago to have a public conversation about change in the system (Forum on Patronage & Pluralism) were hampered by vested interests and of course, austerity measures.

The RSE concern will continue to resurface and then be put back in its box by indvidualist ideas of 'more choice'. What is needed is re-emboldened social movements for public education. Educate Together have led the way here but have to exist within the patron/market system.

A note of caution about 'secularising' RSE & schools though: if 'secularising' means telling people of faith (particularly minorities) their views are backward, the point of public ed is missed. Removing faith articulations is counterproductive. We need to tackle majoritarianism.

It's crucial that conversations about public ed are connected to what we imagine 'good' childhoods past, present & future to be. Many have a strong attachment to Catholic schools as representing 'good' or 'normal' childhoods, even when they acknowledge abuses.

There are Catholics who are uncomfortable or ambivalent about the majoritarian system and who can imagine a system where their traditions and ideas of a good childhood do not dominate those of others. Focusing on this and on disestablishing the market/patron system is critical.