<< Article 41 | Constitution of Ireland | Article 43 >>
- The State acknowledges that the primary and
natural educator of the child is the Family and
guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty
of parents to provide, according to their means, for
the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and
social education of their children.
- Parents shall be free to provide this education in
their homes or in private schools or in schools
recognised or established by the State.
- The State shall not oblige parents in violation
of their conscience and lawful preference to send
their children to schools established by the State,
or to any particular type of school designated by
the State.
- The State shall, however, as guardian of the
common good, require in view of actual conditions
that the children receive a certain minimum
education, moral, intellectual and social.
- The State shall provide for free primary education
and shall endeavour to supplement and give
reasonable aid to private and corporate educational
initiative, and, when the public good requires it,
provide other educational facilities or institutions
with due regard, however, for the rights of parents,
especially in the matter of religious and moral
formation.
- In exceptional cases, where the parents for physical
or moral reasons fail in their duty towards their
children, the State as guardian of the common good,
by appropriate means shall endeavour to supply
the place of the parents, but always with due regard
for the natural and imprescriptible rights of the
child.
<< Article 41 | Constitution of Ireland | Article 43 >> | 
