Abstract
Both the French and Irish Republics have enacted legislation which allows religious discrimination against school children, namely under the Loi No. 2004-228 du 15 Mars 2004 and the Equal Status Act 2000. These provisions are contrary to international law according to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and have been heavily criticised by various United Nations committees. Furthermore, these policies fail to consider the republican values both states claim to uphold, as well as ignoring the rising pluralism and multiculturalism in their jurisdictions. The French and Irish systems can be viewed as polar opposites: one places a ban on religion and religious symbols; while the other enables an educational climate which is over-saturated with religious schools.