Laws which mean schools have to teach 'Christian focused' Religious Education and hold a daily act of collective worship should be scrapped, an UlsterUni research paper says
Some respondents said the university connection could present huge opportunities for pupils
But while the paper sets out its vision for a single school system, it also outlines a number of obstacles to that. The UU paper calls the independent review's task "daunting - not least in determining what is actually meant by the term single education system".in the UU Unesco Education Centre series called Northern Ireland's Education System "divided, splintered and overly expensive".
"The influence of a Christian-centric perspective pervades not only the daily routine and timetable but also the operational day-to-day and strategic management of schools and, to some extent, the management of the entire education system." In response to the shortcomings they identify, their paper argues for a single education system based on a number of changes.
"Church involvement in the drawing up of the RE specification needs to be revised in order that a genuinely pluralistic and inclusive programme of education can be developed, delivered and quality assured in practice," it added.