Page 4884 - Week 16 - Tuesday, 26 November 1991
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Canberra Grammar School, which has an unfortunate system that they should throw out - perhaps they ought to offer both that one and another one. In other words, an investigation of the non-government schools would be a way to look at the excellence or otherwise of various assessment systems.
Fourthly, there is a need, on the question of non-government schools, to look at the question of schools for increasingly significant religious groups other than Christian. Setting aside the AME School, which is a non-denominational or secular school, at the moment, as far as I can see, we have only the various brands of Christian schools. Could this inquiry see whether there is room in the Territory for Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and other religious groupings? This is true in Sydney and Melbourne. Surely, in the national capital the non-government school system must not be limited to only one part of the Australian experience. I am struck by recent magazine articles about the wide range of religious groupings other than Christian now in Australia.
Fifthly, there is the question of social equity and social justice vis-a-vis non-government schools. This would be a good time for a report on the degree to which non-government schools, whether Christian or non-Christian, religious or secular, maintain open, low-cost or free places for students from families which would like to be part of independent education but cannot afford it. I am sure that Christian schools in particular will say, "Our schools are open to all. We do not judge people on the basis of their income. Above all, we want free, open schools for a wide range of people who can come to us". Is there social justice and social equity in these schools? Possibly, they need to build more in order to take in such people.
Sixthly, in looking at non-government schools, I would raise questions about the effectiveness of religious education. I am not going to comment on Catholic education, which I am not competent to discuss; but I do hear criticisms, especially about the three grammar schools, that their religious education is either low grade or inefficient. That may be wrong and, if so, I would be glad to hear it. But, when looking at non-government schools, this would be a chance to have several people on the panel who would look at the very core of what such schools are about. The very core of a Catholic education system is to give a Catholic education, and one senses that in Catholic schools. I do not sense it in some of the Anglican schools I go to, and I have a keen interest in those schools. I want them to be better than they are, and I wonder how many of the staff could adequately analyse the Thirty-Nine Articles.
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