Private Schools are a significant feature of the Australian education system, ranging from extremely expensive schools with great prestige and history, to more affordable institutions addressing the growing demand for an alternative to government schools. Most private schools are religious.
Two strategies could force the closure of most private schools in Australia.
Religious Examinations
Every student at every faith-based private school in Australia would be forced to sit an exam in the faith of that school. The exam would be designed, administered and marked independently, and would be similar to the NAPLAN exams which test students’ literacy and numeracy.
At least 80% of students at each school would be required to pass the exam. If fewer than 80% of students pass the exam, that school would receive no government funding for the next 12 months. Private schools receive substantial government funding in Australia, even though they charge fees and have chosen to operate independently.
Many students would fail. Many students attend faith-based schools (especially Christian schools) not due to religious devotion, but because parents think the schools are better than the local public schools. Many parents tolerate religion, and Religious Education is often regarded as the ‘bludge’ subject at Christian schools.
Teacher Qualification Rules
Governments could insist that every teacher at a faith-based private school is a practising member of that faith.
Every teacher would have to be initiated into that faith (eg. baptism for Christians) and would have to prove they are actively involved in that faith community outside of school.
Authorities would need to see official proof that every teacher regularly attends religious services (eg. church, mosque, synagogue…) and that they participate in the life of their local congregation. In order to prove participation, teachers would need some form of written reference or endorsement from the local religious leader, such as a priest, imam, rabbi etc. Any teacher who cannot satisfy these requirements cannot be employed by a faith-based school.
This regulation would force most private schools to shrink or close down completely, because Australia is a secular country without a sufficient number of fully-qualified teachers who are religiously devout. There is also a significant teacher shortage across the nation.
Why close private schools?
Private schools are not inherently bad. They usually offer a ‘better’ education than local government schools – but this in itself is the problem. It is almost obligatory for a child to attend a private school in Australia in order to receive a strong education that leads to further education and strong employment prospects.
Children from public schools do succeed, but it is much harder, because public schools are famously under-funded and under-resourced.
Most Australian parents will send their child to a private school if they can afford to. These parents have no vested interest in the quality of government schools, and insufficient pressure is placed on governments and politicians to provide high quality public education. Australia as a nation suffers, and will suffer even more so in an increasingly globalised world.
Why target religion?
Religion is the historical justification for private schooling in Australia. Since the early days of the colony, the Protestant faith was taught in public schools, and the Irish Catholic population wanted to teach their children their faith, so they opened private, Catholic schools. Now that Australian public schools are officially secular, all faith-based schools are private. Non-religious private schools do exist in Australia, but they are rare.
Christian conservatives are publicly criticising proposed policies which would force schools to hire or retain teachers who contradict the rules of their faith (especially in regards to gender and sexuality). Christians argue that the policy would force Christian schools to hire teachers who are not devout Christians, and that this denies them freedom of religious expression. What Christian activists don’t realise is that Christian schools are already hiring teachers who are not devout, due to the teacher shortage and Australia’s secular culture.
If an Australian government was truly committed to democratising Australia’s education system, it would implement the two strategies suggested in this article, and devoutly religious Australian activists may have to be careful what they wish for.
Image: Element5 Digital
