Ulster Unionist Education spokesperson Danny Kinahan MLA will lead a call in the Assembly on Monday to remove the requirement for teachers working in the Catholic Maintained sector to have a Certificate in Religious Education.

The South Antrim MLA said;

“For many people the requirement of nursery and primary school teachers in the Catholic sector to hold a religious certificate which effectively eliminates up to half of the potential workforce would sound grossly discriminatory – and that’s because it is. Such discrimination was wrong within the PSNI and it is as equally wrong within our education system.

"At present the appointment of teachers is exempted from the rigorous anti-discrimination laws which are normal for all other professions. This has unfortunately meant that ever since 1976, teachers here have been able to be discriminated against in their application for teaching posts based upon their religious beliefs.

“The fact that teachers in Northern Ireland are the only occupational group in 27 member states of the European Union to be legally unprotected should bring a huge degree of shame on our equality laws. It`s not even veiled, it`s actively promoted.

"Whilst there has been progress over recent years with the practice being scaled back, it remains unacceptable that applicants for teaching posts in all Catholic primary schools are still obliged to hold such a restrictive certificate.

"It is time for this discriminatory practice to come to an end -that is why I am bringing a motion to the Assembly calling for the teacher exemption in the Fair Employment and Treatment Order to be repealed.

“A repeal is in the Assembly's gift, however it is deeply disturbing that OFMdFM seem to have no intention to change the current situation."