Ethics classes hidden from parents

It is important to understand the relationship between knowledge, culture and power because the intellectual’s role is key in the reconstruction of consciousness. In shorter words, culture is about power, yet more precisely “culture as a form of politics.” The Sydney Morning Herald article on the introduction of ethic classes in schools as an alternative to scripture classes has brought me to question upon the compulsory of attending religion classes.

 For many years, Australian primary school students have been participating in assigned scripture classes for an hour of each week during school hours and can only be opt out this religion class if permitted by parents. Children who are not undertaking these special religious educations are placed into a classroom to do some ‘free time work’ which is usually believed to be non productive; leisure time. Therefore a discussion of whether NSW schools should run ethics classes as an alternative to special religious education was put forth.

However, a government-initiated inquiry into ethics classes was held this year and it found the classes should be retained but recommended that parents should not be advised the classes are available until after they have decided to opt out of special religious education, or scripture. This means that Ethics education is to be treated as a second class option, but our culture in the western society tells us that we are ‘free’ individuals with the capacity to choose our own destinies and everyday choices. 

This contradiction highlights Bourdiea’s idea of superior and high ‘culture’ is based in “symbolic viloence,” that is, the imposition of ones group’s values and beliefs on another group in such a way that that dominance appears ‘normal and right.’ In consideration to the O'Farrell government needing the votes of Fred Nile's Christian Democrats, whose party shares the balance of power in the upper house in the upper house, it is clear why scripture classes in NSW schools are compulsory unless parents requested for their child to be removed.

With Catholic and Anglican being the dominant groups in scripture and Australia as a wide diversified nation, should the government be thinking towards more multiculturalism? Maybe initiating scripture classes of all different religions and have a rotating timetable so students can have a wider understanding of each other might be a more appropriate idea. After all, education shapes culture, and culture shapes education.

References:

·         Leonardo, Z. (2009). Affirming ambivalence: Introdution to cultural politics and education. In Z. Leonardo (ed.), Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education (pp. 1-48), Rotterdam : Sense Publishers.

·         http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/ethics-classes-hidden-from-parents-say-supporters-20120803-23kni.html

Hey Jackie

Hi Jackie :) I think I told you wrong about the blog posts submitting. I've just seen the email saying submit assignment 2 only via Turnitin. I think the blog posts need to submited online, no hard copy required. Sorry about the wrong information.
From Xuan

To remove Religion classes?

Many parents and other academic writers such as Peter FitzSimons have asked the Australian Government to remove Religion classes from public schools. President Sharron Healy said her daughter's school, Mill Park Primary, had students from 42 different backgrounds.

''I'd rather see the kids learning about lots of religions together rather than one specific religion where families have to leave the class,'' Ms Healy said.

It raises a problem. Parents want their children to be treated as Australian in school, not members of religion. They argue that religion does not teach children about anything that will benefit their future employment. Peter FitzSimons also writes "there have been 10,000 different gods worshipped since the dawn of time. You have rejected 9999 of them as arrant and obvious nonsense. I counted up, and I have rejected just one more than you. Let the children make their up own mind as to just how many they will reject, but the state should have no part, one way or t'other." However, Dr Brian Rosner, a New Testament scholar and a Fellow of the Centre for Public Christianity (also a fan of Peter FitzSimons) disagrees with that idea. He suggests that Religion education, specifically Christianity, is a way of teaching children about humanities, an understanding of how the world is created in order to understand evolution and other theories. What brings this debate of whether have or not have religion classes so popular to today's topic? Is it because Australia is now considered as a multicultural country?

I reckon the answer is "yes". Ms Healy said that her daughter's school had students from 42 different backgrounds. They all have different views on religion. Wadham  discusses about how culture is defined by the history as it frames the future. The Australian Government thus focuses on the study of Christianity (Scripture teaching) at public school as Australia is mainly known to be "Anglo-Australian" backgrounded. Parents think that they are just classes about religion and have nothing to do with the syllabus that is being taught at school. Therefore, many parents who want their children to be academically success refuse to let their children be taught in a Scripture class. There are a few other factors that influences people's perception of Scripture teaching. One of them is ethnic identity. We all have our own moral stands and ways of identifying ourselves. Why would someone totally different from another believe in the same thing as you? It comes down to whether having many different religion education or ethnic classes instead of feeling "ruled" by this Anglo-Australian way of education would fix this problem. 

Public education being the first proper step of education in our life is rather important. Most parents want the best for their children. They want a broad range of education for their children in order to compete in a developed country. It is hard to make everyone happy as each one has a different view on religion, moral and other thing. Maybe a taste of everything would interest children at school and fix this problem?







Reference:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/does-a-belief-in-god-hold-back-students-20110813-1irrb.html
http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/parents-shun-school-religion-20120803-23l7v.html

Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney: Pearson  Education. 

Two sides of Multiculturalism

Australia is believed to be a Multicultural country. Because we have a multicultural society, it made many discrimination acts possible. However, these eruptions cannot devalue the powerful dynamic of multiculturalism developing in Australia for more than 60 years. They do remind, though, that multiculturalism is a work in constant progress and needs attention to meet contemporary challenges. 

In 2010-11, NOM contributed the greatest number of people to the most populous states: New South Wales with a net of 50,200 persons, followed by Victoria (45,700), Queensland (31,300) and Western Australia (30,800). (Australian Bureau of Statistics) In seeing this growth in Oversea Migrates' population, one of Australia's greatest refugee success stories, Frank Lowy suggests that "Newcomers should know our liberal democracy provides impartial processes to air grievances and right wrongs. They should know there is a place for peaceful and lawful protest. Australians say to newcomers: you are welcome; you are free to worship; you are free to honour your heritage; and we will respect the differences between us. And in return, you should agree to live by the standards and values of this society, the one you have chosen to be part of. And agree to pass on these values to your children, to ensure they receive a broad and balanced education, untainted by the ideology of hate."

It seems like the problem of discrimination is never fixable. On one hand, everyone despite their cultural background is welcomed to come to Australia. On the other hand, they are "forced" to live by the standards and value of the Australian society. We are always different to "you" and "your culture". They are forced to live by it and pass it onto their children. Is it not hate? The White value is always higher than other ethnic and cultural background. This emphasises on Bourdiea’s idea of high ‘culture’ that the "White culture" is seen as dominant, ‘normal and right.’ Was it shaped by Hitler's anti-Semitism (against Jewish people) or was it influenced by the "White Australian Policy" back in the 1900s? If the Whitlam government did not accept the policy of Multiculturalism, would Australia be considered as one of the world's largest immigration and Multicultural country?

It becomes so important that Multicultural education is for all schools and students and is integral to the school curriculum. Schools have a key role to play in: They enable all students (despite their ethnic backgrounds) to identify as Australians. They educate students about Australia’s democratic, multicultural society and their rights and responsibilities as members. They also promote social cohesion, community harmony and addressing racism. They provide learning environments that allow all students to reach their full potential. Schools address barriers that may limit participation of students from LBOTE (Language background other than English). Schools assist students to acquire the knowledge, attitudes and skills to participate effectively in a culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse community, nation and world. The Department is committed to eliminating all forms of racism. No one should experience racism within Department environment. Eradicating and challenging racism is responsibility of all staff. Promoting acceptance of diversity is responsibility of all staff. All schools should have a trained Anti-Racism Contact Officer.

Clearly, multiculturalism is not a one day program, it is something that everyone should be involved in. There should not be any ignorance towards any culture or ethnic groups. It is not just about saying "I accept you" without meaning it. It is about inclusion of everyone. It is about fairness and rights. At the end of the day, we are all just humans living in this world and are being created equality.  

References:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/two-sides-to-the-blend-of-cultures-20120919-266xb.html

 Leonardo, Z. (2009). Affirming ambivalence: Introdution to cultural politics and education. In Z. Leonardo (ed.), Handbook of Cultural Politics and Education (pp. 1-48), Rotterdam : Sense Publishers.

Education is the key to acceptance

Just as 7 years ago, there was the most shocking event that happened on the Cronulla Beach known as the 2005 Cronulla Riots, the same racist event happened on the 17th September 2012. Cronulla Riots were populated largely by Australian young people, young men, acting out in violence against the Lebanese people in nationalistic pride. Majority of these men had been through, or are currently going through the Australian public education system. So does that mean that the education system could have done something differently earlier? Could this have been permitted if there were something altered in the teaching of ethnicity and racism in the education system?

The Australian Prime Minister and the NSW Premier argued that race and racism were not the underlying causes of the incidents (Barclay and West: 2006). 

Prime minister John Howard declared, “I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country” In his national Australia day speech, four weeks after the riot. He called for a renewal of the teaching of Australia's history in schools. The NSW state premier, only days earlier had announced that students of government public schools would be taught more about Australia values as part of the revamp of the Australian education system. (Calma, T, 2006)

The Sunday Morning Herald writes states that the Saturday violence was not about the trashy film that denigrated the Muslim religion. It may well be, as both claim, about perceptions that are particular to the Muslim community. In accordance to Amin, "Not all urban spaces are ‘‘natural servants of multicultural engagement" (2002: 967), Christina Ho also suggests that people are territorialised by particular groups, steeped in surveillance or spaces of transit with very little contact between strangers. However, in today's society, cultural terrain is vastly different. There are a range of ethnic groups and religion. Just as other religions are permitted in Australia, such as, the Greek Orthodox, Jehovah's witnesses, Catholic, Hinduism, Buddhism, so should the Muslim community.Religious schools are government-funded. The traditions of dozens of different national and ethnic groups are celebrated in schools and communities. 

The challenge facing the Muslim community is to educate its youth about the advantages of a society that has struggled to change its attitudes and perceptions within a single lifetime.

To prevent future riots of this magnitude, a new approach must be taken for the future youth of this planet. This issue of racism needs addressing in the education system, schools have the power to influence children on such massive world issues, such as racism. Teachers should always be aware of the issue in the classroom, and should be willing to educate the children on the different cultures in the world. The need to educate and teach Australian youths as well as the older generations that it is not a matter of "tolerance" which we need to overcome but "acceptance" and respect, or maybe even love for each other, regardless of what religion, culture or whether or not one's parents were born on our shores. Australia is aiming to recreate their multicultural identity and is attempting to mend any unhealed wounds that were determined during this anarchic period of time. 

Ruth Wilson from Bowral said:

"If you wish to be respected, show that it is deserved. If you want to be heard, please speak in ways so we can listen. If you want to be included, you need to be respected and heard. If you need help with any of the above, a balanced education is the key.

There is no other good way."

Reference:

http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/education-key-to-muslim-challenge-20120919-266v6.html

Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the presence of others: School micropublics and everyday multiculturalism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.