New Bill limits religion in schools (Australia)
Submitted by innocence is bliss on 2002-07-3 00:04:30, Wednesday
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RELIGIOUS instruction would be banned during class time in ACT government schools under a draft Bill. Education Minister Simon Corbell today said the plan would ensure education stayed free and secular. "The ACT government is proposing that the right for parents to request religious instruction for their children in government schools will be put into legislation and that that religious instruction should only occur in a way that doesn't interfere with the normal classroom timetable," he told Radio National. "Religious education, that is, teachers teaching children about the different religious beliefs, will continue to be provided in public schools as part of the normal curriculum." Under the plan, religious instruction could take place either before or after school or during recess and lunchtime. Only 28 of the ACT's 69 government primary schools currently provide it. "(The legislation) makes sure that all schools must provide religious instruction if they're requested to do so by their parents, but they do so in a way which doesn't interfere in the normal classroom timetable," Mr Corbell said. Opposition education spokesman Steve Pratt said the move downgraded religion. "This will mean that those families in government schools who want to continue with religious instruction are going to have to go off to non-government religious-based schools," he said. "The government, in moving religion to before or after hours, is sending a signal to the community that religion doesn't matter, whereas I would think that religion is one of many effective tools for values education." The Australian Christian Lobby said the proposal was an abrogation of the government's responsibility to provide children with a value system to navigate an increasingly ambiguous world. "The specious argument that parents want religious education removed to give more focus to the three Rs shows a complete lack of understanding of what has been long accepted as the true purpose of education, to develop the whole person," executive chairman Jim Wallace said. The public has three months to comment on the draft Bill(Daily Telegraph,3rd July 02) |
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