Blog - Saturday, May 7, 2011 5:00 - 8 Comments

Questioning Victorian Education

On the 6th May 2011 I phoned the Victorian Education Department requesting information regarding “Special Religious Education” in public schools within the State.  After a brief conversation a very lovely and helpful lady provided me the following email:

The Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide at section 3.22 Special religious instruction and general religious education provides advice in regard to your earlier inquiry.

Please note, if you have specific concerns regarding your child’s school these should be raised in the first instance with the school’s principal. If you have comments regarding the policy in general you may wish to attach these by reply email. I will ensure this is forwarded to the appropriate officer for their attention.

Regards.

I encourage everybody to download the PDF summary of the Victorian Government Schools Reference Guide provided.  It is a very short document which outlines the Victorian Government’s approach to Special Religious Education, and the role of various providers including Access Ministries (who feature highly).

Here was my response:

Thanks for the information regarding “special religious education” and for the offer to forward any requests an appropriate officer for their attention.  I have some general questions regarding the provisions of the Act and it’s implementation.

1) I understand only accredited instructors approved by the Minister may present special religious education materials.  Is there a list of accredited and approved instructor available?

2) I note Access Ministries accredit instructors for the approved non-denominational Christian syllabus “Religion in Life”.  What process do Access Ministries use to accredit these individuals?  What involvement, oversight, or auditing process to the Education Department have in this area?

3) Is the approved “Religion in Life” sysllabus freely available?  Can I obtain a copy of the course materials?

This point is particularly interesting in light of the recent comic fiasco involving Access Ministries.  Is this comic part of the approved “Religion in Life” course? If so, why did the Education Minister approve this content? If not, why are Access Ministries delivering it?  These are crucial questions which bring into sharp focus the oversight and administration of SRI within Victorian public schools.

4) I note other religions are able to provide course material, so long as it has been approved by the Minister, including (but not limited to) Catholic, Jewish, Greek Orthodox, Islamic, Buddhist, Baha’i, Hare Krishna.  Are other non-religious world views able to present in these classes?  If not, why not?

5) Given a range of providers present course materials, does the Department maintain a publically available list of these providers?  If so, where might it be obtained?

6) Are the State budget allocations for the approved special religious organisations available?

7) I note individual representatives of Access Ministries are restrict to presenting the approved course material (namely “Religion in Life”).  What processes dooes the Department have in place to ensure this occurs?

8) I note in section 3.22.7 that parents are requested to return form GC 566 (revised 2007), however this form is hidden in a password protected area of the web site.  Is there a publically available version of this form?

9) I note failure to return form GC 566 within 14 days automatically grants permission for Access Ministries to present the agreed Christian syllabus, namely “Religion in Life”.  What is the justification for selecting Access Ministries over any other of the approved and accredited special religious education providers?

Once again, I will keep readers informed of developments.