Greens call for abolition of state funding for religious schools
-1/11/04
The Scottish G
Greens call for abolition of state funding for religious schools
-1/11/04
The Scottish Green Party has called for the abolition of all state funding for religious schools.
Activists voted by 48 to 18 to support the stance taken by MSP Patrick Harvie, who told the party conference that a “clear policy” was needed.
Delegates in Dundee also voted to commit the party to integrate existing religious schools into a common education system.
The move will receive criticism from many churches. One of Scotlandís leading Roman Catholics recently compared critics of separate denominational schools with Islamic extremists and communists
However, some Christians who are unhappy with the way that some church schools are run, will have sympathy with the proposals.
Activist Ian Ruffell led the calls to abolish all state funding.
“When we have people arguing over whether there are separate toilets for people of different faiths, then we are in a situation that doesn’t belong in a 21st century Scotland but a mid-20th century South Africa,” he told the conference.
“Quite simply, the state has no business in religion – we will abolish state funding for religious schooling, that is what this is about.”
The party’s education sub-committee had tabled a motion which declared that schools should not promote one belief system over another and committed the party to “work towards non-denominational schools”.
Mr Harvie was part of the working group which drafted the resolution.
He said he had changed his mind after reflection and after hearing the counter-arguments.
“I do think we made a mistake and I do think we need something that is clearer and more distinctive,” he said.
“The existing policy just says we will move away from denominational schools.
“That implicitly says we support the idea of shared campuses. Shared campuses are not working.”
And he added: “We do need a policy which enables us to say clearly that what is happening at the moment is not acceptable – and we need a system of education that is supportive of all religions and all philosophical world views.”
Mr Harper argued that the Greens’ aim was to hold the balance of power in the next Scottish Parliament.
“This would be an extraordinary responsibility for us as our first act in education – to just withdraw funding from denominational schools. It couldn’t be done,” he said.
He said he had “absolute sympathy” for the sentiments behind the move.
But he said: “We cannot have this in black and white in the policy at this stage of our political development in Scotland.”
He said it would be “politically inept” to have the phrase “we will abolish all state funding of religious schools” without any qualification.
Greens call for abolition of state funding for religious schools
-1/11/04
The Scottish Green Party has called for the abolition of all state funding for religious schools.
Activists voted by 48 to 18 to support the stance taken by MSP Patrick Harvie, who told the party conference that a “clear policy” was needed.
Delegates in Dundee also voted to commit the party to integrate existing religious schools into a common education system.
The move will receive criticism from many churches. One of Scotlandís leading Roman Catholics recently compared critics of separate denominational schools with Islamic extremists and communists
However, some Christians who are unhappy with the way that some church schools are run, will have sympathy with the proposals.
Activist Ian Ruffell led the calls to abolish all state funding.
“When we have people arguing over whether there are separate toilets for people of different faiths, then we are in a situation that doesn’t belong in a 21st century Scotland but a mid-20th century South Africa,” he told the conference.
“Quite simply, the state has no business in religion – we will abolish state funding for religious schooling, that is what this is about.”
The party’s education sub-committee had tabled a motion which declared that schools should not promote one belief system over another and committed the party to “work towards non-denominational schools”.
Mr Harvie was part of the working group which drafted the resolution.
He said he had changed his mind after reflection and after hearing the counter-arguments.
“I do think we made a mistake and I do think we need something that is clearer and more distinctive,” he said.
“The existing policy just says we will move away from denominational schools.
“That implicitly says we support the idea of shared campuses. Shared campuses are not working.”
And he added: “We do need a policy which enables us to say clearly that what is happening at the moment is not acceptable – and we need a system of education that is supportive of all religions and all philosophical world views.”
Mr Harper argued that the Greens’ aim was to hold the balance of power in the next Scottish Parliament.
“This would be an extraordinary responsibility for us as our first act in education – to just withdraw funding from denominational schools. It couldn’t be done,” he said.
He said he had “absolute sympathy” for the sentiments behind the move.
But he said: “We cannot have this in black and white in the policy at this stage of our political development in Scotland.”
He said it would be “politically inept” to have the phrase “we will abolish all state funding of religious schools” without any qualification.