a roll of the dice

The Age reports on the pressing issue of the growth of independent schools teaching from a faith-based curriculum in Australia.  Presenting religious indoctrination in the Howard era clothing of “choice”, some such schools are teaching creationism in science classes and directly counteracting government efforts to provide sex education to students.

For example, the principal of one religious school tells The Age that at least he doesn’t “hide” evolution from students:

“We don’t hide the fact that there is a theory of evolution, and that’s how we’d present it, as a theory,” Mr Bray said.

“We teach it, explain what it is, and at the same time we present clearly and fairly, and we believe convincingly, the fact that our position as a school is that God created the heaven and earth … There wouldn’t be any point of being a faith-based school if we didn’t think that God was the creator.”

Mr Bray’s faith-based school has no problem accepting money from secular-based taxation of unbelievers, of course.  According to The Age, up to 200,000 Australian children are now being taught in evangelical Christian schools.

These issues are particularly relevant as the new Federal Government considers a reallocation of funding for such schools, which gradually increased throughout the Howard era.  A more in depth piece can be read here, which highlights the fact that independent schools in Victoria are exempt from discrimination laws relating to employment and are thus free to hire only the devout.