http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/prima ... 32ty8.html

Hundreds of primary school principals have stopped offering weekly religious education in schools, despite a department requirement to offer the classes.

Current Education Department guidelines state that principals "must" schedule the contentious ''special religious instruction'' (SRI) classes in the school timetable when accredited and approved instructors are available, but Education Department figures suggest the number of Victorian state schools delivering SRI programs declined by almost a third in the past two years.

In 2011, 940 government schools delivered an SRI program, but by 2013 the number plummeted to 666 - a drop of 274. In real terms, 130,100 students received SRI in 2011, with just 92,808 in 2013.

Joe Kelly has been principal of Cranbourne South Primary School for 15 years, and acknowledged that until two years ago he had been "blindly supporting" Access Ministries' presence. That was until he took a closer look at the actual classes and curriculum.

"It is not education," Mr Kelly said. "It has no value whatsoever. It is rubbish - hollow and empty rhetoric … My school teachers are committed to teaching children, not indoctrinating them."

but by 2013 the number plummeted to 666

Must be satan.

Good, kids don't need to learn a "them & us" mentality.

What is 'religious education'?
Because over here, at least in public primary schools, it's comparative religious studies, not indoctrination into any one particlar faith.

Never fear, Tony the Abbott and his team of Tea-Party wannabees will fix this soon. Watch this space.

This is under the purview of the VIC state government, not the feds. Good to see a school principal calling a spade a spade - too many of them fancy themselves as politicians, rather than educators.

Thomas Eshuis wrote:What is 'religious education'?
Because over here, at least in public primary schools, it's comparative religious studies, not indoctrination into any one particlar faith.

It is called Religious Instruction under the act, not Religious Education. Except when someone wants to obfuscate of course.

And yes, it is indoctrination.

While any religion can technically be represented with a class the majority are xian, and particular organisations have various states sewn up. In Victoria it is Access Ministries, fundy enough that it is quite likely many of the principals are xian and supportive of RI in general but not of what they are getting in particular.

The other states are no better off in terms of the mobs running the RI show.

Although NSW has the secular ethics option now, which is growing well.

And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

Fenrir wrote:And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

WTF?

Does anyone know if anything like this is happening in WA? I have heard nothing about this in my sons school and remember nothing about it during my childhood schooling. Fucking Australia is still filled with right wing conservatives who want to indoctrinate kiddies to stop the growing lack of religion or sometimes the growing religion they don't like.

In NSW, they are not allowed to receive instruction while RI classes are running. Before secular ethics came along, they'd sit and watch videos while the other kids were learning about Noah. Happily, in our case, we had some switched on teachers who'd sit them down in front of The Magic School Bus, so they'd come home raving about dinosaurs or the solar system. Extra science lessons, FTW!

Made of Stars wrote:This is under the purview of the VIC state government, not the feds. Good to see a school principal calling a spade a spade - too many of them fancy themselves as politicians, rather than educators.

Tony stopped the boats with his Little red Lifeboats, so there might not be any limit to what the Libs may achieve. War with Indonesia perhaps. If I was an Indonesian I would have punched Julie Bishop in the face by now. Kudos to them that they have kept their cool [sort of].

Blackadder wrote:

Fenrir wrote:And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

WTF?

Indeed. How is this enforced and what are these kids supposed to do during that time?
"Just sit and stare, mate, sit and stare"?

Blackadder wrote:

Fenrir wrote:And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

WTF?

It's the same in the UK.

babel wrote:

Blackadder wrote:

Fenrir wrote:And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

WTF?

Indeed. How is this enforced and what are these kids supposed to do during that time?
"Just sit and stare, mate, sit and stare"?

Same here, exactly that. Sit in the empty classroom usually.

But, thankfully, they are introducing ethics classes from next year

Blackadder wrote:

Fenrir wrote:And get this, students who opt out are not permitted to learn anything during indoctrination time, lest they outperform the sheeplings.

WTF?

W.T.F. Indeed. In Queensland this is explicit policy.

DETE Policy and Procedure Register>School Education>Student Learning and Wellbeing Procedures>Religious Instruction in School Hours
Principals:
* monitor school activities offered to students not attending religious instruction so students who attend religious instruction do not experience educational disadvantage

The time set aside for R.I. cannot be used for any other tuition. Students who are opted out are typically sent to another room, or the library, for reading and self study. Moves to introduce actual lessons--whether a secular ethics class or some other elective subject--in this time have met with protests that it would discriminate against R.I. students. After all, even religious parents would be tempted to opt their children out of R.I. if the alternative was to learn something useful, and we can't have that now, can we?

PS: Note the term "opt out". It used to be that students were included in R.I. by default unless their guardian explicitly requested otherwise. This has been somewhat reformed after revelations that parents often weren't being informed that the option even existed.

But reforms to R.I. directives are quite slow; and much slower in some states than others, due to this kind of thinking:

Queensland's Liberal National Party has strongly backed religious instruction in state schools, arguing Islamic and non-religious parents often want children brought up with a Judeo-Christian grounding.

brisbanetimes.com.au sought comment from both sides of politics about the prospect of introducing secular ethics classes in Queensland, nearly a year after the New South Wales government rolled out such courses state-wide as an alternative for non-religious students.

"The LNP believe that the overwhelming majority of Queenslanders want their children brought up with a Judeo-Christian grounding in religious education."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/parents-support-judeochristian-teaching-lnp-20111115-1nh29.html#ixzz2tZfKO19q

This type of thing comes from both sides of our two-party preferred system, mind you.

Some wanker wrote:The LNP believe that the overwhelming majority of Queenslanders want their children brought up with a Judeo-Christian grounding in religious education.

Why did they bother putting the 'Judeo' part in there? We all know they really mean indoctrination into fundy Xian interpretations of bronze age goat herder fantasies.

Thomas Eshuis wrote:What is 'religious education'?
Because over here, at least in public primary schools, it's comparative religious studies, not indoctrination into any one particlar faith.

An old lady volunteer from a local church visits the class for 30 minutes every week. She will bring pamphlets full of christian propaganda that contain "fun" exercises to complete at the end of the lesson.

They are terrible teachers and spend most of the time talking about their own personal anecdotes, you really learn nothing.

That's how it was when I went through the system anyway.

The lessons don't do much harm but it's a matter of principle. We wouldn't let political parties preach to school children so why are religions allowed? A child's right to have a fair (and undeceiving) education should be non-negotiable. What's even the point of having public education if we are going to put the demands of fascist lobby groups ahead of the child's right?

Well done Aussies!