Wednesday, April 19, 2006
UK: Creeping Influence of Religion in Education
Members of the largest classroom teaching union in the UK will warn today of the dangers of the creeping influence of religious organisations in education, including Christian fundamentalist sponsors of state schools where creationism is routinely taught, reports Rebecca Smithers, education editor of The Guardian.
"If one religion gets state funding and another doesn't, allegations of discrimination will be made," says Hank Roberts, a Brent teacher. "And they'd be right. The only logical and fair answer is that no religiously controlled schools should receive any state funding. Absurdly radical? No, it is the wish of the large majority of the British public. A Guardian/ICM poll showed that nearly two-thirds of the public were against government funding of faith schools of any kind."
"If one religion gets state funding and another doesn't, allegations of discrimination will be made," says Hank Roberts, a Brent teacher. "And they'd be right. The only logical and fair answer is that no religiously controlled schools should receive any state funding. Absurdly radical? No, it is the wish of the large majority of the British public. A Guardian/ICM poll showed that nearly two-thirds of the public were against government funding of faith schools of any kind."
