Keep Church And State Separate In School, As Well

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday July 22, 2003

Catholic and sundry other sectarian groupings spend much of their year decrying the evils of secular humanism. But their tut-tutting ceases when they want state funding for their privileged user-pays educational bastions (``Private schools turn up heat over state aid", Herald, July 21).

If such ghettoes choose to live over and against the principles of secular humanism, fine, that's one of the benefits of a healthy secular democracy. But why should such privilege and social condescension be financed by the state?

Why should such a gross annually displayed lack of integrity be tolerated by the rest of us? Shouldn't separation of church and state be of foremost consideration here? Or is Australia's secular democracy more of a sham than we realise?

Mark Johnson,

Hazelbrook, July 21.

Sadly, we live in a society that values real estate above education. As parents, we rail against these values, but are powerless to change them. We can only finance the funding shortfall in education ourselves.

In so doing, we not only save the public purse up to two-thirds of the cost of educating our own children, but for every dollar we pay in private school fees, we contribute almost another dollar in tax. The net gain for the education of all in our community is manifest.

I then find it disgraceful that we are continually vilified as uncaring and elitist by media that are quite happy to gush over the obscene price hikes in Sydney real estate as if we, as a society, are somehow enriched by this unseemly scramble for material ascendancy, while being impoverished by parents who contribute extra to the education of all children.

Andrew Thompson,

Vaucluse, July 21.

That old chestnut ``the world owes me a living" has now changed to ``the world owes my child a subsidised education at an expensive private school of my choice".

Margaret Grove,

Abbotsford, July 21.

The facts about state aid could not be more clear: some students attending non-government schools receive as little as 15 per cent of the funding that children in the public system get. Parents who choose low-cost Catholic and Anglican schools are penalised by a system that fails to be fair on funding.

Noel Hadjimichael,

Mount Annan, July 21.

I will support any party that will redirect public funds away from private denominational schools to public schools. How can we expect to teach our kids to live together in peace and tolerance if we bring them up in blinkered religious institutions?

Look around the world and see how religions continue to divide populations. A strong public school system is the backbone of good community cohesion. Faith-based school systems foster balkanisation of otherwise integrated communities, and simply entrench those religious beliefs and practices that divide us.

John Brown,

Castle Hill, July 21.

The Government provides me with cheap transport, but I prefer to travel by car as it is quicker and more convenient. However, it is expensive.

I would like to buy a nice car, but I don't have enough money. Since the Government already subsidises those who prefer what they consider to be a better education than what the government provides, I expect it will do the same for me by subsidising the purchase and running costs of my car.

The government education system is relatively better than its transport system, so my need for a subsidy is relatively greater. Like my private school friends, I pay my taxes, so I deserve a share of government transport funds. I have explained this to the Minister for Transport and chosen the car I want. I am expecting a cheque in the post any day now.

John Meers,

North Bondi, July 21.

Gosh, I always thought that if you wanted a private school education for your children in user-pays land you paid for it yourself. Why demand subsidies from taxpayers to fund a privileged education?

John Hay,

Bellingen, July 21.

Is there no end to the demands from publicly funded private schools for more resources? The NSW Labor Government has imposed cuts of $70 million and 1000 positions on the Department of Education and Training to fund its election promises.

The 1000 positions to be cut include 300 specialist consultancy positions. The savagery of the cuts will severely compromise support personnel and programs from public schools.

What savings are to be imposed on NSW private schools seeing that they all receive an automatic 25 per cent flow-on of all educational resources allocated to public schools?

Judith King,

Deputy president,

NSW Secondary Principals Council,

Gladesville, July 21.