It is not education and religion that we want but religion in education. We do not want religion to be merely an adjunct to the educational scheme. We want it to be an integral point of education. We want a genuine unity of the educational plan with religion at the centre. Rudolph Bandas, in his Catechetical Methods has put into words the present demand and present need as follows: Under the teacher's prudent guidance, the children should learn to reflect upon God's place in their lives and in the universe, and so detect the relation of all their human knowledge to God and to religion.
This correlation of secular branches with religion must not be forced and exaggerated. It should rather be implict. The child's power of reflection should be so developed that he will be able to learn gradually to apply the principles of religion to his intellectual, industrial, civic, and professional life, as well as to all the vicissitudes of human existence. Occasionally the most preposterous proposals are made for teaching religion through this or that other subject.
Father Bandas is conscious of this difficulty in his caution that the relation should often be implicit. Catholics are entitled to the secular knowledge within their capacity and at their level of training that will help them achieve the educational purpose. What will be taught will be determined by social need and psychologic adaptability in relation to the educational purpose.
Without strain or without, "dragging it in," religion will naturally grow out of the context.
Religious education
This "natural setting" will give it greater effect and influence. However, the guest speakers must not provide instruction in their religion or promote the religion. All education providers must ensure that their programs and teachings are delivered in a manner that supports and promotes the principles and practice of Australian democracy, including a commitment to freedom of religion, speech and association. Government school teachers must not provide teaching in religion other than general religious education. The principle of secularity does not prevent school councils from hiring and licensing school facilities where they are not required for ordinary school purposes and are to be used for recreational, sporting or cultural activities outside of school hours which are not part of the school program.
The Hiring, Licensing and Shared Use of School Facilities policy provides further information on the use of school facilities. The only exception to students receiving a secular education in government schools is non-compulsory special religious instruction SRI section 2. Any group seeking to facilitate, lead or provide instruction in programs that are based on distinctive religious tenets and beliefs either during lunch time or out-of-school hours where this is provided by the school and supervised by school staff , must satisfy the requirements for SRI set out in MD and this policy. The content of any program proposed to be delivered by visitors to schools must be examined by principals to ascertain whether the content is based in the religious tenets and beliefs of a particular religion and thus falls within the SRI policy framework.
Examples would include prayer groups, scripture study groups and lunchtime praise groups, where these are facilitated, lead or instructed by a visitor or an external group. It does not include before or after school groups hiring school facilities to operate their own cultural groups independent of the school. For further information on determining whether a proposed program is SRI, see: Fact Sheet for Principals in Department Resources. School celebrations and cultural events that are part of general religious education rather than SRI should not be led by SRI instructors but by teaching staff.
SRI instructors may be guests or guest speakers at general religious education events; however, the instructor should not lead the event and must understand that as guests or guest speakers they must not provide instruction in as opposed to general information about their religion and must not promote the religion.
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The only exception to secular education in government schools is special religious instruction which may be given in a government school during the hours of instruction in accordance with section 2. This section sets out a number of requirements regarding the delivery of SRI. Special religious instruction is defined as: Students and teachers have the rights to freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression and freedom of association under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act Students can organise and participate in voluntary religious activities outside of the school program as they are not part of the curriculum provided by the State in government schools.
Such activities cannot be promoted by the school. Principals must read MD to ensure they understand their responsibilities and the requirements for SRI, which include the following:. Ministerial Direction gives the principal the decision-making responsibilities around SRI in their schools.
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Principals may decide to offer, or not to offer, to change the time, or to cease offering SRI, based on the circumstances of their particular school. In making the decision principals should have regard to relevant considerations such as the:. Principals may consider some or all of the considerations listed, depending on the circumstances of their school. Principals must not have regard to their own personal views about religion or their personal religious beliefs or practices in making a decision to offer, or not to offer, or to cease offering SRI.
In a school where SRI is currently offered, the principal may consider publishing a notice in the school newsletter to provide an opportunity for feedback prior to making a decision about the provision or not of the program. A record should be kept of the process taken and the reasons for making such a decision.
If SRI is offered at a school, the Principal must ensure that students do not attend for more than 30 minutes per week and that SRI is offered either at lunchtime or in the hour before or the hour after school. Not all instruction offered at the school must occur during the same minute interval. For example, large schools with a high number of parents wanting their children to attend may choose to offer SRI for different year levels at lunchtime on different days, while a school with smaller numbers may choose one multi-age group, at lunchtime once a week.
Schools offering SRI in more than one faith may also choose to schedule those on different days and at different times. Where an instructor is willing, SRI may be delivered to multi-age groupings of students. Principals should ensure they understand what age-groups form part of a particular session being offered to the school by the instructor. Principals must use the prescribed form — CFMD — for this purpose. If a parent does not provide the consent form within the timeframe specified in the form, the child must not participate in SRI.
Principals must ensure parents give appropriate informed consent and are provided with the following information in relation to the provision of SRI in the school: Principals must ensure, by consulting with the Department, that only accredited and approved instructors provide SRI at a government school as accredited instructors have undertaken training through their accredited provider and have signed a Code of Conduct which outlines how they are required to conduct themselves. Each accredited provider prepares its own program materials for use during SRI. Given the religious nature of the content, the Department does not endorse the program materials that providers may use.
Special Religious Instruction
However, the Department does play a role in determining minimum standards for content of the program materials to ensure it does not conflict with human rights and anti-discrimination laws, or principles of law. Principals must also ensure SRI programs support schools to be safe places for all students, irrespective of their family and cultural background, sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. Any concerns about the content of the provider-approved material delivered at a particular school should be directed to the Principal.
Principals must ensure that any SRI program is delivered in a manner that supports and promotes the principles and practices of Australian democracy including a commitment to:. Instructors may charge a fee to participating students. This fee can include the cost of materials or program.
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This fee cannot be charged prior to consent to participate having been sought from parents. Schools may assist instructors in collecting this fee, but schools should not meet the costs of SRI materials and recoup the cost from parents. Principals must ensure that SRI is adequately supervised by at least one teacher and must ensure that students are not removed from school ground by SRI instructors during SRI. School teachers are required to supervise SRI and fulfil their duty of care obligations. Teachers should be made aware of guidelines and policy relating to SRI, and the distinct difference between SRI and general religious education.
A teacher who is responsible for the supervision must report any concern he or she has about the delivery, provision or content of the program to the Principal, as soon as it is practicable. Similarly, if a supervising teacher believes that the content or nature of any SRI class raises concerns from a duty of care perspective, the teacher must report that to the Principal.