Church School Enigma !

Decades ago a lot of people elected to send their children to Catholic schools because they had an enviable reputation for delivering a good education. As a result, Catholic schools contained a mix of Catholic and non-Catholic children and the fees charged were a mere fraction of what the independent private school system demanded.

In that era the school staff and teachers were primarily Nuns and Priests and class discipline was a vast improvement on the public school system which was forced to accept many children from disruptive home environments who had no interest in any form of education.  Some of these public schools had a very poor reputation and were studiously avoided by parents.

The shortage of Nuns and Priests within the Catholic church has seen most Catholic schools now staffed by a mix of teachers from many religions.  Catholics are naturally preferred, but the days of schools taught by ordained and unpaid religious Catholic clergy are over and the government has seen fit to inject a greater proportion of education funds to the Catholic system in recognition of the important part they play in the overall education system.

The timing of this fund increase seems strange considering that the Catholic church has just been dragged kicking and screaming into the public spotlight with the coverup of child sex abuse by its clergy revealed. Paedophile priests have been moved to fresh parishes when their sins became known to their superiors and the reputation of the church has been paramount above the damage that has been inflicted on the children under their care.

This has been rumoured for years, but recent events have put the abuse of children by priests beyond doubt.  Criminal law has been broken and for the first time a Bishop has received a prison sentence for failing to turn an offending priest over to the police.  The good name of the church has suffered a heavy blow and church attendance has fallen in many areas.

It remains to be seen how this scandal will affect enrolment in the Catholic school system , by both Catholics and non-Catholics. Many may be reluctant to trust a religious system that has just been savaged by the disclosures of how widespread this abuse has been and how high the concealment has penetrated.  In the minds of many people, priests are no longer trusted and pose a threat to children of all denominations.

Analysis by the Centre for Independent  Studies Education Policy show that the shift away from state schools to the private sector had reversed two years ago.  That was when the MySchool website began to provide  parents with data on school performances.   It is now possible to carefully evaluate each school and many parents take this into account when buying or selecting rental property. The property value of individual suburbs is often related to the appeal of schools within that geographical area.

Perhaps this injection of funds into the Catholic education system should await the outcome of enrolments in the new year.  The impact is most likely to be seen in school commencements. Parents with a child about to start their education may now opt for the state school system - from a safety point of view.  The issue is so divisive that there is even a doubt if the Catholic education system can survive in its present form  !