[Greens-Media] Greens say government should stop funding special religious education - Pennicuik

[Amanda.Sharp at parliament.vic.gov.au]

Greens say government should stop funding special religious education

Friday 30 May 2014

The announcement today that the state government is going to 'overhaul' 
the way religion is taught in Victorian primary schools after it was found 
that volunteers breached its guidelines doesn't go far enough, Greens 
Education spokesperson, Sue Pennicuik said.

"There have been complaints about the way special religious education 
(SRI) is conducted in government schools for years," Ms Pennicuik said. 
"Not least of the concerns raised by parents, teachers and by me is that 
SRI is conducted in government schools, using volunteers who are not 
teachers and using materials that are not accredited by the department." 

"It has always been very unclear just what is done with the large amounts 
of public money that is given to organisations," Ms Pennicuik said. 
"According to the government, Access Ministries, which conducts about 80% 
of SRI, uses the hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars it receives 
each year to 'cover administration and training of chaplains'.*

"After media reports of what happened at Torquay College last year, I 
raised the issue in state parliament because I was appalled at the report 
that primary school children had been given material claiming girls who 
wear revealing clothes are inviting sexual assault, and that 
homosexuality, masturbation and sex before marriage are sinful," ** Ms 
Pennicuik said. 

"I have raised questions in parliament about the conduct of SRI generally 
and about Access ministries in particular on several occasions. These have 
been around how Access Ministries gains access to schools, how its 
curriculum is or is not approved and the level of funding provided to it. 
This has always been less than transparent. 

"I have been concerned about the materials that I have seen that are 
published by Access Ministries*** which talk about 'we are all special to 
God', 'Jesus the teacher', 'never forget to worship God', etc. when 
'proselytizing' during SRI classes is supposedly prohibited," Ms Pennicuik 
said. 

"Many teachers have told me that that is exactly what is happening, but 
they feel powerless to do anything about it. So, it is good to hear that 
the department will finally be doing some long overdue oversight of SRI 
materials. 

"If the government were to evaluate them for educational content, in my 
opinion, they have none," Ms Pennicuik said.

"In 2011, I listed in Parliament a motion calling on the government to 
adhere to the principle of secular education in government schools by 
removing the provision for SRI in the Education and Training Reform Act 
2006. The motion was not debated, but shortly afterwards the government 
changed the system from parents having to opt out of the program for their 
children to attend SRI to them having to opt in. 

"Last year I asked the Minister for Higher Education and Skills if and how 
the department was monitoring compliance with the opt-in system. I was 
advised that the department is essentially not doing so. It's about time 
that was properly monitored too as I have reports of children attending 
SRI even when their parents have not opted in," Ms Pennicuik said. 

"It is time that funding for religious organisations to deliver SRI in 
government schools was stopped and instead general religious and ethics 
education that is factual, not proselytizing be offered and delivered by 
qualified teachers, not evangelistic volunteers." 

For further comment: Sue Pennicuik ? 0409 055 875 / 03 9530 8399

*
http://vicmps.greens.org.au/content/q-policy-and-funding-special-religious-instruction
**http://vicmps.greens.org.au/content/adjournment-religious-education
***Trek 1 Teacher book, ACCESS Ministries (The Council for Christian 
Education in Schools) 2009


///////************************************************************///////////////



Parliament of Victoria                                                                                                                    . 

Important Disclaimer Notice:





The information contained in this email  including any attachments, may be 

confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please 

notify the sender and delete it from  your system. Any unauthorised 

disclosure, copying or dissemination of all or part of this email, including 

any attachments, is not permitted. This email, including any attachments, should 

be dealt with in accordance with copyright and  privacy legislation. 

Except where otherwise stated, views expressed are those of the individual sender.