We have now obtained the transcript of Brett McLeod interviewing Principal Henry Grossek of Berwick Lodge PS, on 3AW yesterday. Well done to Principal Grossek, who agrees with FIRIS on several issues, including that the new consent forms are responsible for the massive decline in numbers, that SRI is a bad fit for Government schools, and that SRI is nothing like General Religious Education: I think it [the change in SRI numbers] tells me that the people who go to Government schools predominantly dont want their children to do Special Religious Instruction. and... My personal view is that I believe religious instruction should be something that people take up in their private lives and/or if you feel strongly enough about it, there are plenty of religious schools of all denominations around that can build it into their timetables without the disruption that it causes Government schools. and… You cant deny that religions got a very, very significant role in practically all civilisations, but thats not the nature of SRI, the way that it is presented in schools. ******************************************************* Brett McLeod: Special Religious Instruction in schools. Now, it was changed last year to become an opt-in program as opposed to opt-out, and in that time, the number of students enrolled to do it fell from 92,000 to 53,000; so much so that at Berwick Lodge Primary School, theyve discontinued the program altogether. Principal Berwick Lodge, Henry Grossek is on line. Good afternoon. Principal Grossek: Good afternoon, Brett. How are you? Brett McLeod: Im good. Am I right? It was the changing to the opt-in versus opt-out thats made the biggest hit on this Special Religious Instruction in schools? Principal Grossek: Yes. Thats unquestionably so, Brett, because in the past I think a lot of parents, they’re busy, they get preoccupied with other things and to actually write a letter to opt-out takes a bit of time, but here when they actually had to opt-in when we gave them the forms, they chose not to. Brett McLeod: What did that tell you? Principal Grossek: I think it tells me that the people who go to Government schools predominantly dont want their children to do Special Religious Instruction. I think at our school its over 80% of the people didnt return on the opt-in, so I think theyre sending their kids to our school if they want them to do other things. Brett McLeod: Whats your own personal view on it? Principal Grossek: My personal view? My personal view is that I believe religious instruction should be something that people take up in their private lives and/or if you feel strongly enough about it, there are plenty of religious schools of all denominations around that can build it into their timetables without the disruption that it causes Government schools. Brett McLeod: The religious instruction that kids are getting who opt-in for it, whats the nature of it? Is it just about a particular religion? Principal Grossek: Well, its based on Christianity per se and if you look at the syllabus, its not meant to be proselytising and its about good values that link in with Christianity and Id say, well not even Christianity, its a lot to do with good values, but the Christianity creeps into a lot of the programs; and the syllabus, which is a bit more neutral is often, I think, compromised by a great deal of variance among instructors. Brett McLeod: The instructors, they all come from ACCESS Ministries? Principal Grossek: Yes. Brett McLeod: And what do you feel about the sort of people who are doing the instruction? Principal Grossek: Look, theyre good people and they generally mean well, Brett, but having sat in on some of them, none of them are qualified teachers for a start, or most of them are not, and they vary enormously in quality from – I mean, what we have to do, Brett, is have to have a qualified teacher sit in the classes with them. We dont do any instruction, but youre there to the system in overall management and its a duty of care thing. The reports that we get and what we see is that some of them are quite good and some of them you really need to be helping them out with managing the classrooms, simply because theyre not teachers. Brett McLeod: I sort of wonder where the religious instruction – I went to a Presbyterian school, so of course, the local minister took care of the religious instruction – but being somebody that doesnt practice in your religion now, I think its important that children understand the place of religion in history. Principal Grossek: Absolutely. I agree completely with you, Brett and I think if you add religious cultural studies or historical studies, it is. You cant deny that religions got a very, very significant role in practically all civilisations, but thats not the nature of SRI, the way that it is presented in schools. Brett McLeod: Id like to publicly apologise now to the Reverend Ian Steer [sp?] who was the religious instructor at Essendon. He tried his best. We werent much of a class though. All right, Henry. Thanks very much for your time today. Principal Grossek: Thank you very much, Brett. Brett McLeod: Principal of Berwick Lodge Primary School, Henry Grossek, about the drop-off, the massive drop-off, in the number of children enrolled in Special Religious instruction just in the last 12 months. Its almost half of parents have decided their kids dont need it. Are you one of them or do you think the government should continue to fund this, because there is some feeling that the Government will scrap funding for this Religious Instruction in schools altogether. 3aw.au/shows/brett-mcleod-20141218-129qv6.html
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 11:48:31 +0000
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