Don't demonise private education

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

Source: the Australian

SIGNIFICANT and increasing numbers of children are attending religious institutions for their education. About two-thirds of the 2710 non-government schools are Catholic schools. Of the remainder, known as independent schools because they are not part of a system, only a few dozen are independent secular schools.

This situation has arisen in part because of the politically charged history of Catholic schooling in this country, which set a precedent of public funding to religious institutions.

It is also due in part to the way schools are funded. To be eligible for government funding, schools must meet a raft of regulations dealing with governance, curriculum and administration. Religious organisations are well-placed to meet these challenges. They have the bureaucratic structures in place, communities of like-minded people willing to work towards a common goal and a source of extra funds through their congregations.

Not all parents choose religious schools because they are themselves religious. The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes in 2005 found that close to one-third of students in other non-government schools - mostly Christian and Muslim schools - came from families that had never belonged to a church or religious organisation. These families are seeking an alternative to the available public schools, and religious schools are often the only alternative. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is an important question.

The possibility that religious schools create a segregated society and a decline in social cohesion must be carefully considered. That religious schools may inculcate intolerance and bigotry must be appraised and analysed, using good evidence.

Unfortunately, this rarely occurs. Critics of religious schools tend to focus on the usual gripes secularists have with religion: their teachings on the origins of the world and humanity, and on sexuality and family formation.

The debate over intelligent design v evolution is an issue of curriculum and can be resolved fairly simply. All schools should have to adhere to basic and essential curriculum standards. These include teaching about the theory and overwhelming scientific evidence of evolution.

The approach a school takes to sex education is a relatively small part of schooling but it is important to parents. Christian Schools Association chief executive Stephen O'Doherty has said one of the main reasons people choose Christian schools is because of their "ethical and moral view" on sex education. This may be true, but it is likelier that rather than actively seeking an anti-gay, pro-marriage message, most parents are simply trying to avoid the excessively liberal and explicit approach to sex education in public schools.

However, survey data suggests that schools have little influence on attitudes to sexuality.

The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes in 2005 asked people whether they agreed that gay and lesbian couples should have their relationship recognised in a civil union. There was no difference in the proportion of people who had attended different types of school who agreed. The same survey assessed attitudes to immigration. People who had attended other non-government schools were least likely to say immigration should be reduced and least likely to say immigrants increased crime rates. (People who had attended public schools were most likely to agree with these statements.)

Not exactly proof of rampant intolerance emanating from the non-government school sector.

Survey data is by no means the final word on the role of religious schools in a secular society but they do suggest stereotypes can often be wide of the mark. An intelligent discussion on the future of school choice in Australia is well overdue. Rather than demonising religious schools, we need to think about why these schools are attractive to parents.

We also need to think about why there are so few secular independent schools. What policies are preventing successful innovative school ventures such as the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools in the US being established in Australia? Is there room for a new system of independent public schools that abide by public school values on enrolments and curriculum but have more autonomy, similar to charter schools in the US and independent schools in Sweden?

When the Rudd Government eventually reviews the non-government school funding model, it must do more than fiddle with the formula. It is an opportunity to seriously consider the public responsibilities of schools and the private responsibilities of parents, and how government policy mediates between them.

Jennifer Buckingham is education research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.