WA teachers to get extremism risk training

STAFF at all WA schools will be trained how to see warning signs that their students could be at risk of violent extremism.

WA Education Minister Peter Collier. Picture: File image

STAFF at all WA schools will be trained how to see warning signs that their students could be at risk of violent extremism.

Training materials to help staff identity radicalism threats infiltrating their schools and how to refer and seek support for vulnerable pupils are being developed to be rolled out in the public, Catholic and independent school sectors.

Education Minister Peter Collier said all schools would be required to report concerns of potential extremist behaviour as a critical incident to the Department of Education under the proposed multi-agency intervention strategy.

The department is also working with police to develop an “interim referral process for school-aged youth”.

Fourteen staff in the public education system have already been trained on how to identify radicalisation risks.

The independent and Catholic sectors have been invited to select their own staff to be trained later this month so they can return to their schools and share what they’ve learnt with their colleagues.

“This will allow for greater parity in raising awareness across all three education sectors,” Mr Collier said. “There is no single pathway to violent extremism and there is no single cause. Therefore the responsibility for dealing with violent extremism is one that is shared across governments, the community and individuals.”

At a parliamentary hearing, Opposition education spokeswoman Sue Ellery said it appeared certain schools in the non-government sector were “far more likely to be victims” of extremist activity, citing a car firebomb attack at an Islamic school in Thornlie.

Australian Islamic College Perth executive principal Abdullah Khan said there had been no incidents or concerns of potential radicalism at his three schools, but he took the threat of terrorism seriously.

Mr Khan said his staff had been trained to be attuned to any possible indicators and students were taught to be smart and sceptical about terrorism propaganda, especially that spread on social media.

“Part of our Islamic studies program is in fact we teach them explicitly about terrorism, where it’s coming from, the dangers of it and that it has nothing to do with Islam,” he said.

WA Police is spearheading the intervention strategy here and all other states are working on similar measures.

Originally published as WA teachers to get extremism risk training