[Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Search] [Feedback]
	Northern Irish Legislation
You are here:  BAILII >> Databases >> Northern Irish Legislation >> EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES (NORTHERN IRELAND) ORDER 1972

[Index] [Table] [Search] [Notes] [Noteup] [Previous] [Download] [Help]

EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES (NORTHERN IRELAND) ORDER 1972 - SECT 17

17.(1) Subject to the provisions of this Article, the teachers in every
controlled school other than a nursery or special school, if so requested by
the board which controls the school, shall conduct or attend collective
worship in the school and give undenominational religious instruction in the
school but a teacher in a controlled school shall not be required to give
religious instruction other than undenominational religious instruction.

(2) A teacher who has, under paragraph (1), been required to conduct or attend
collective worship or give undenominational religious instruction, may make a
request to the management committee of the school in which he is serving to be
wholly or partly excused from conducting or attending such worship or giving
such instruction or both from conducting and attending such worship and giving
such instruction and at the same time furnish to the committee for submission
to the board which controls the school a statutory declaration that his
request to be so excused is made solely on grounds of conscience.

(3) Where a teacher makes a request under paragraph (2) and furnishes the
statutory declaration required by that paragraph, the teacher shall, until the
request is withdrawn, be excused in accordance with the request and whilst he
is so excused shall not receive less emoluments or be deprived of, or
disqualified for, any promotion or other advantage by reason of the fact that
he does not conduct or attend collective worship or give undenominational
religious instruction.

(4) Where a board is wholly or partly unable to arrange that the teachers in a
school conduct the collective worship or give the undenominational religious
instruction which it is required to provide in the school in accordance with
the provisions of Article 16, the board may, for the purpose of fulfilling its
obligations under that Article, advertise for and appoint a teacher to conduct
such collective worship or give such religious instruction.

© 1972 Crown Copyright

BAILII: Copyright Policy | Disclaimers | Privacy Policy | Feedback
URL: http://www.bailii.org/nie/legis/num_act/ealio1972398/s1972.html