Notes of Substance

By Anna Sublet 2nd May, 2013 The Victorian Education Act allows for education which is free, compulsory and secular. So how do religious instructors, promoting specific faiths, have access to children within our state schools? At a State School near you It's nearly the end of the school day at a local state primary school. But for the next half hour, the teaching of the curriculum is suspended. Children are divided into groups based on their religion. These groups are then separated from each other. The classroom door opens to allow church volunteers, some with as little as ten hours of training, to take charge of each group. The teacher is made redundant, sidelined as a spectator in her own classroom. Welcome to supposedly secular education in Victoria. Image copyright Natalie Davey, used with permission Special Religious Instruction In primary schools across Victoria, children as young as 5 are being ministered to by religious volunteers from ACCESS Ministries. AC...

by Anna Sublet May 2nd, 2013 When No does not mean No Kids love a party invitation. Coloured balloons, a personal message. But 6 year old Leah did not know what to think when she received a special message about God's love in the playground at school last week. This is one party to which her parents had already said no. So how did she come to be invited? You're special Leah’s parents chose for her to not take part in Special Religious Instruction classes at their local state school.  So, Lara and Mark were stunned when their daughter Leah said "Look what Zoe gave me!" on the way home from school. An invitation to learn of God's love. Photo supplied by Lara (sur name withheld) Spreading God's love Leah's parents  had requested that she not attend SRI sessions, but here they were receiving messages from children within the SRI class.  The 'invitation' prompted Leah to ask her parents about God.  They are angry that the...