Author:
Publication: Zenit.org
Date: May 31, 2001
But Labor Government Stands By Its
Proposal
The Labor government's plans for
a big expansion of religious schools were condemned by the National Secular
Society as grossly discriminatory and an "explosive" threat to community
relations, the Guardian reported.
In a response to the green paper
on Labor's plans for education reform, published in February and since
used in the election manifesto, the NSS said Wednesday it was scandalous
that education resources -- paid for by all taxpayers -- were being channeled
into schools that gave privileged access to people of a particular faith.
In the green paper, Labor outlined
plans to set up more schools supported by the churches and minor faiths.
Since the 1997 election, Muslim, Sikh and Greek Orthodox schools have been
brought into the state system for the first time, and given voluntary-aided
status and government funding already enjoyed by Anglican and Catholic
schools.
But the NSS questioned in its submission
why Labor had made the plans at a time church attendance was at its lowest
in Britain. Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the NSS, said: "We
are shocked that the government intends to extend further the unfair privileges
that religious schools already enjoy.
A spokesman for Labor said its expansion
of religious schools was based on the need for equal opportunity, which
had been denied by the previous government: "It was indefensible for the
Tories to refuse to support Muslim and other schools. We must offer other
faiths the same rights to a state education which have been enjoyed by
Anglicans and Catholics for decades."
