[Greens-Media] Blind eye turned to creationism pushed in science classes

[John Kaye]

Blind eye turned to creationism pushed in science classes
 
Media release: 25 November 2008
 
The NSW Board of Studies has failed to act against fundamentalist private schools that teach a creationist view as science, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
 
Commenting on a story in today's Sydney Morning Herald ('Creationism v science: school on report'), Dr Kaye said: "In an Upper House Budget Estimates hearing last week, Board of Studies General Manager John Bennet made the extraordinary admission that Pacific Hills Christian School is the only institution being investigated for teaching intelligent design or creationism as science.
 
"No private school has ever been disciplined for pushing creationist propaganda in science classes. That's not surprising given that the Board handed over most of its only investigation to Christian Schools Australia.
 
"The fox has been put in charge of the hen house. Christian Schools Australia has a clear religious bias towards intelligent design and creationism and they are unlikely to make an adverse finding against one of their own members.
 
"Dr Bennet and NSW Education Minister Verity Firth are turning a blind eye to the undermining of scientific and rational thinking in fundamentalist schools.
 
"The Board's processes are clearly not keeping pace with the growth in the number of fundamentalist private schools that leave their students unable to distinguish between science and belief.
 
"Dr Bennet should be the guardian of a rational society. It is his job to ensure that  students are not deliberately confused about the difference between evidence and myths. 
 
"The Board has been too timid in pursuing schools that use the science classrooms to indoctrinate their students. They are allowing a religious organisation to carry out the only investigation and they are ignoring the hundreds of other fundamentalist private schools that do the same thing.
 
"Unless the Board undertakes its own investigations of the full range of fundamentalist private schools, Australia will end up like the USA where more almost half of the population believes that the world, humanity and all living creatures came into being in their present form some time in the last 10,000 years," Dr Kaye said.
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 
 
 
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John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: john.kaye at parliament.nsw.gov.au
web: www.johnkaye.org.au
 
mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000