Almost half Londoners want a ban on faith schools
-07/09/06
Nearly half of Londoners be
Almost half Londoners want a ban on faith schools
-07/09/06
Nearly half of Londoners believe religious schools should be banned, according to a new survey.
The survey’s findings came as police continued to search an Islamic school in East Sussex that is alleged to have been used as an al Qaeda training camp.
Debate also continues about the discrimination in admissions policies practiced by many Christian schools who give priority to children from families who attend churches connected to them.
In an additional twist, this week a girl was also barred from taking an official bus to her Church of England school because she had not been baptised.
Christian and Jewish schools have traditionally existed in Britain. However, asked which faith schools they favoured, 44 per cent of Londoners said they believe they should all be banned. Nearly 11 per cent said Britain should keep the religious schools it has but not allow any new Muslim, Hindu or Sikh schools, according to the YouGov/Evening Standard survey.
Seven per cent said Christian and Jewish schools should be allowed but not Muslim, Hindu or Sikh ones.
Reacting to the poll’s results, the Muslim Council of Britain insisted there should be equal treatment for all faith schools.
Spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said: “We should not allow any discrimination in terms of schooling. Over 50 per cent of Jewish children attend Jewish schools, most of which are funded by the taxpayer.
Should people from other minority faiths not be allowed the right to send their children to similar faith schools if they so wish?”
Jon Benjamin of the Board of Deputies of British Jews argued that faith schools are about giving parents and their children a choice of education. He said: “Faith schools just give a basic moral grounding. Kids can have an education that has an ethos that relates to a particular faith which nevertheless is open and worldly in its outlook.”
Christian MP and Lib- Dem president Simon Hughes, chairman of governors at St James’s CoE primary school in his North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency, suggested limiting to a quarter the number of places in any school for a particular group or faith. “There is a clear case for a new regime for education that does not put young people in faith boxes throughout their education,” he said.
Communities minister Phil Woolas said: “Faith schools are popular with parents and the Government believes that they should have a choice on whether to send their children to them. Faith schools can play a valuable role in promoting inclusion; abolishing them wouldn’t help community cohesion but hinder it.”
Another opinion survey, published by ICM and the Guardian newspaper last year, indicated that the British public were increasingly concerned about the presence and growth of faith-based schools.
Almost half Londoners want a ban on faith schools
-07/09/06
Nearly half of Londoners believe religious schools should be banned, according to a new survey.
The survey’s findings came as police continued to search an Islamic school in East Sussex that is alleged to have been used as an al Qaeda training camp.
Debate also continues about the discrimination in admissions policies practiced by many Christian schools who give priority to children from families who attend churches connected to them.
In an additional twist, this week a girl was also barred from taking an official bus to her Church of England school because she had not been baptised.
Christian and Jewish schools have traditionally existed in Britain. However, asked which faith schools they favoured, 44 per cent of Londoners said they believe they should all be banned. Nearly 11 per cent said Britain should keep the religious schools it has but not allow any new Muslim, Hindu or Sikh schools, according to the YouGov/Evening Standard survey.
Seven per cent said Christian and Jewish schools should be allowed but not Muslim, Hindu or Sikh ones.
Reacting to the poll’s results, the Muslim Council of Britain insisted there should be equal treatment for all faith schools.
Spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said: “We should not allow any discrimination in terms of schooling. Over 50 per cent of Jewish children attend Jewish schools, most of which are funded by the taxpayer.
Should people from other minority faiths not be allowed the right to send their children to similar faith schools if they so wish?”
Jon Benjamin of the Board of Deputies of British Jews argued that faith schools are about giving parents and their children a choice of education. He said: “Faith schools just give a basic moral grounding. Kids can have an education that has an ethos that relates to a particular faith which nevertheless is open and worldly in its outlook.”
Christian MP and Lib- Dem president Simon Hughes, chairman of governors at St James’s CoE primary school in his North Southwark and Bermondsey constituency, suggested limiting to a quarter the number of places in any school for a particular group or faith. “There is a clear case for a new regime for education that does not put young people in faith boxes throughout their education,” he said.
Communities minister Phil Woolas said: “Faith schools are popular with parents and the Government believes that they should have a choice on whether to send their children to them. Faith schools can play a valuable role in promoting inclusion; abolishing them wouldn’t help community cohesion but hinder it.”
Another opinion survey, published by ICM and the Guardian newspaper last year, indicated that the British public were increasingly concerned about the presence and growth of faith-based schools.