Parents increasingly believe faith-based schools should expect staff to support the “ethos” of their institution, which Australia’s peak body for Catholic education says does not align with the “discriminating policies” of the Greens. Source: The Australian.
According to a survey of more than 3000 parents commissioned by the National Catholic Education Commission, 72 per cent of parents from government, private and Catholic schools expect faith-based schools to operate according to their “values and ethos” and believe staff should support that position.
NCEC executive director Jacinta Collins said the findings were “contrary to suggestions that faith-based schools were discriminating and consistent with the trends of (increased) faith-based school enrolments”.
In the past decade, Catholic education has grown by 8.2 per cent.
The Greens had “policies that would unfairly discriminate against our students, many of whom are socio-educationally disadvantaged,” Ms Collins said.
“There’s a small rump of ideological views that non-government schools, especially faith-based schools, shouldn’t exist, and currently we see that playing out within the Australian Greens’ school education policies.
“On one hand they accept the existing funding arrangements with the Gonski Schooling Resource Standard, but then they top it up with several other initiatives that exclude students in non-government schools.”
Catholic schools serve 42 per cent of students in the lowest socio-educational groups, compared to the government’s 57 per cent. In the past decade, there has been a 161 per cent growth in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolments.
Ms Collins said the Greens’ $11.6 billion policy for free lunches at every public school “completely isolated and excluded” non-government schools.
“As some of the commentary has highlighted, wealthy families in public schools would benefit from this sort of initiative and highly disadvantaged students, especially … in those areas where we operate the only school in a community, would be excluded.
“Some of our mostly Indigenous student communities, where we already run things like breakfast clubs and nutrition programs, wouldn’t see one cent of that support.”
Greens spokeswoman on primary and secondary education, Penny Allman-Payne, said public education benefited all Australians.
“People of faith should be free to practise their religion without fear of harm or prejudice, including sending their children to faith schools,” Ms Allman-Payne said.
“Public education benefits all Australians, and our policy focus is on ensuring that public schools are fully funded, have the infrastructure that kids deserve, and are completely fee-free.”
FULL STORY
Greens ‘exclude’ Catholic schools (By Joanna Panagopoulos, The Australian)
