There’s one day of the week my kids really love. It’s the day they have “non-scripture”. It’s their bludge lesson of the week. No work. Maybe they’ll get to watch a kids’ TV show, or play a computer game.
That’s great for them… but is it really why I send them to school?
Seriously, why do public schools in some states still have scripture classes? According to the latest Census figures, 30 per cent of Australians say they have “no religion”. Now, new information suggests that figure is even higher for kids.
The group Fairness In Religions In Schools has just got its hands on some interesting statistics. More than 40 per cent of students in NSW schools don’t list any religion on their enrolment forms. At individual schools, that figure can be as high as 90 per cent. And yet, every school in NSW still needs to set aside time for scripture classes.
While a growing number of schools do offer ethics classes for non-religious kids, there just aren’t enough volunteer teachers around to make this an option for all schools. It’s a big commitment.
My kids are lucky. They enjoy non-scripture, because they’re allowed to do something they like. Other kids at other schools have very different experiences. Because schools aren’t permitted to provide any educational activities for non-religious students while scripture classes are going on, kids can end up in all sorts of situations.
“We’ve heard of children just being made to sit there,” says Dr Darrin Morgan, NSW operations director for Fairness In Religions In Schools, tells Mamamia.
“We’ve heard of children being made to feel punished, basically, like sitting in the traditional spot where naughty kids go, like outside the principal’s office. One parent’s child came home crying because they were told they couldn’t knit.”
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Top Comments
I think your kids are right. Let them have their time off learning, it's only half an hour a week. They are not machines.
My kids went to various public schools. Usually kids watched a movie in the opt out class. My kids learned some good behaviour in their Christian classes, like caring and sharing. Treat your neighbour as you'd like to be treated, etc. As parents we chose for them to go. It was run by volunteers, and by questioning my kids regularly, I found they didn't have any bad or weird experiences. The volunteers have to undergo ongoing training through their organisation. They also have to get a working with children check done.
Muslim and other religions were also represented, depending if the parents wanted them.
Outside of the half hour per week, no discussion of religion was allowed in the school. Period.
There shouldn't be any religion in public schools, there needs to be somewhere that not only non religious children can go to but àlso staff who are non religious, yet if you are a staff member at a public school you potentially have to know more about a lot of religions than if you worked in a religious school, for instance you have to change your teaching methods for the brethren or whatever that stupid religion is that can look at TVs, you have to know about Eid and Ramadan, and all manner of superstitious rubbish, least at a Christian school you would only need to know about their silly superstitions and that's you choosing to work for them. Religion should be a private matter that people who aren't into silly superstition can abstain from. If someone wants to be in the brethren, a Muslim, a scientologist, a Christian or believe in leprechauns they should be entitled to do so, but people like myself who would prefer our brains to be filled with important information and not stupid superstition shouldn't have to know the ins and outs of Eid or whatever silly rubbish people believe in unless we actually choose to teach in a religious school, but where is the place that we atheists can go where we aren't forced to know about everyone else's religion?