Plans to modernise religious instruction in Qld schools

As religious education in schools comes under siege by an unrelenting parents’ campaign, a Queensland priest has revealed plans for a modernisation of the century-old practice.

A QUEENSLAND Anglican priest has backed calls for a parliamentary review into religious instruction provisions, claiming the way they are offered at state schools could be modernised.

Jo Inkpin is one of the first religious figureheads to back a review, telling The Courier-Mail students could be taught about a variety of faiths as opposed to the current policy, which separates children according to their chosen religion when classes are offered.

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The priest called for “better, equal religious education” instead of kids being “farmed off into little groups” each week.

“I want something that’s better in the mainstream rather than something that’s shunted to the side, and that’s a little bit what’s happening now, really,” she said.

It follows a push from Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools, which has been unrelenting in its calls for a parliamentary review of the century-old provisions, launching a petition that has garnered almost 4000 signatures.

In June, The Sunday Mail revealed just a quarter of parents opted for their child to take part in religious instruction this year.

The lessons are offered at state schools on an opt-in basis for upwards of an hour each week.

Queensland Parents for Secular State Schools spokeswoman Alison Courtice

The Sunday Mail also previously revealed upwards of 40 school hours were being “wasted” each year as students who were not doing religious instruction coloured-in or completed homework while they waited for their peers to finish their lesson.

“Many involved with RI provide loving input, but it does seem incongruous, in a country that remains united in advocating multiculturalism, to perpetuate the current practice of dividing children into different religious groups for doctrinal faith lessons, in their otherwise inclusive public school environment,” Dr Inkpin said.

“We would do them a far greater service by ensuring they receive a broad-based, genuinely educational program about approaches to religion from properly trained and resourced teachers. The answer is certainly not to ditch religious education as such.

“The current danger, however, is that we will end up with students learning nothing of what deeply shapes so many of their neighbours – never mind what is at the heart of both difficult conflicts and deep compassion in our wider world.”

Multi-faith religious instruction spokesman Reverend David Baker said religious instruction was important to many parents as they could choose the faith values their children were taught, and it provided a safe place for students to explore spirituality.

Education Minister Grace Grace has previously said there were no plans to conduct a review.