An athiest student has complained to the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) that he was forced to attend a compulsory prayer service at his vocational education committee (VEC) school, breaching his human rights.

Nathan Young, a 16-year-old student at Borrisokane community college in Co Tipperary, demanded in a blog, letter and email to the school that the principal apologise and promise not to make religious events mandatory for students in the future. Chris Young, his father, said he supported his son’s decision.

VEC schools refer to themselves as multi-denominational or non-denominational. The teenager said he continued to attend the school because he thought students were “free from others forcing their ideas upon them”. He could not understand how the community college could allow “religion to