Day 196 Monday, February 14th. Australia-Religion and Education: The Christian Church Still Rules OK?

In Australia the school education is run under individual state laws. In New South Wales the Christian Church used to control education and in the hand-over of that power to the State the Church extracted the commitment that Scripture would be taught in all schools to all children every week. That law allows a child to opt out of that classroom session but the Church negotiated into the law that no other lessons could be taught at that time and no other activities would be allowed. Thus a child opting out has to sit in a supervised classroom where no lesson is offered and no materials are to be provided by the school. A child may bring in their own reading materials but there cannot be any interaction between the children. (No competition from any meaningful alternative to the scripture class). Imagine a 5 year old sitting in that environment for 40 minutes.
The Church sets the religious curriculum that is taught in the scripture class and the teaching is performed by local volunteers from the Church. (Often, perhaps, the elderly “Mrs. Jones”).
The law allows a child to request a non-Christian scripture curriculum and then, if it is a registered religion and a credentialed person can be found to teach it, the school must provide facilities (classroom) to allow this to happen. Our friends have just told the school that their two daughters attend that they wish their children to be taught Buddhism. They have found a qualified volunteer to teach it. The School Principal made it clear that he didn’t think anyone else would request this and grumbled of the facilities burden the school would now have to meet. Now another nine parents have requested the same class and our friends are waiting for the school to meet their obligations. One might hope that another dozen alternative religions will be requested and the school forced to provide a classroom for each under this offensive law.
It seems that no-one expects the Christian Church’s grip on the “no alternative to the scripture class” law to be changed any time soon but a Sydney group have lobbied for a non-religious Ethics class to be taught as an alternative to the Scripture Class in another classroom and at the same time. It is only proposed for 5th and 6th grades for now but it’s a start. The Church is fighting it-one can only hope it passes.