Religious Education in Today's Australian School System
How does religion look in schools across Australia today? There is little doubt that religious education (RE) has changed over the decades. Many government schools provide such education in the form of church-based 'Religious Instruction'. Through it, students are placed in faith-based groups, giving them instruction in the beliefs and practices of a single religion.
This way of educating has had criticism thrown at it recently, though, with people labelling it as controversial. Some suggest that instruction in a single religion can indoctrinate pupils to accept beliefs that are either controversial in their own right or are not supported by evidence.
Numerous government reviews and changes regarding laws and policies have thus been discussed.
Looking Back in History at Religion
If you travel back in time to when Aboriginals were the only inhabitants of Australia, they followed beliefs known as The Dreaming. It wasn't until 1788, when British colonists settled on the land, that Christianity arrived. Most of the settlers and convicts sent there were members of the Church of England. A few also adhered to the ways of Protestantism and Catholicism.
A census conducted in 1828 divided the colony into four groups – Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Pagans. Smaller groups would arrive and establish their own churches and faiths in Australia as well. Several decades later, the Australian gold rushes brought other workers from China and the Pacific islands, as well as British India. Many new faiths were introduced to Australia at the same time.
By the start of the 20th century, the government of Australia limited immigration to those of European descent. This ensured that Christianity remained the dominant religion across the country for the proceeding decades. The census of 1911 explained that 96% of Australians identified as Christian.
Today, Christianity remains the most dominant religion as of the 2021 census. Those identifying as having no religion have increased across the country, though, being the second-most common status.
Teaching RE in Australian Schools
Religious education has been taught in Australian schools throughout the centuries. Christianity, most prominently Anglican beliefs, were taught initially.
Government schools exist in the largest number across Australia today. It is at these schools where students are separated into faith-specific groups, thereby receiving information on one religion only. The Catholic education system is second in terms of number, educating over 750,000 students in 2018. Around 105,000 students receive an Anglican Church education, while the Uniting Church operates roughly 48 schools in the country.
A smaller number of schools exist for smaller Christian religious sectors like Lutheran and Greek Orthodox.
Other Religions Being Taught in Australia
More than 604,000 people identify as Muslim in Australia today. Concentrated primarily in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, over half of that figure are non-practising Muslims. Since the 70s, Islamic schools have been active across Australia, with over 100 mosques and prayer centres being available.
Today, over 110,000 Jews also reside in Australia. Most of these are Ashkenazi Jews (having Eastern European descent). Immigration from South Africa and the former Soviet Union has pushed the number of Jewish residents up in recent decades. Several Jewish schools are present across Australia, including day schools, co-educational schools and schools incorporating early learning centres.
Religion is taught in Australian schools in a variety of ways, including via Special Religious Education (SRE) at public schools. The majority of these are Christian, but there are providers for other faiths, too. They include Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baháʼí, Vedic and Sikh.
Some schools will also incorporate religious elements into other subjects. This includes art, literature, music and history.
It is important to say that each state and territory within Australia has its own policies on how religion is taught in schools. For example, if you reside in Victoria, schools must be secular, meaning no specific religions can be promoted or practised inside by students or teachers.
Concerns over Modern-Day Teachings of Religion
The separate teachings of religion at many government schools in Australia have led to some people calling for the re-evaluation of RE teaching. A recent paper published by Dr Bleazby calls for such a change for that very reason.
However, she noted that not all the approaches taken towards teaching religion are problematic.
Classes for 'General Religious Education', or worldviews education may nurture religious literacy, intercultural understanding, positive attitudes towards minorities and also counteract extremism", she said.
Dr Bleazby believes it would be better if representatives of religious organisations didn't teach RE in schools today. Since laws in the country already allow for the general type of RE to be taught, it can be taught this way by the teachers who are qualified and employed by the schools.
Indeed, 'General Religious Education' has not been as controversial as the RE being taught at most government schools. Even some parents are calling for teachers and not preachers to be at the helm of religious education in state schools.
It has never been taught like this in a major way across Australia, though. The biggest reason for this is because there is a fear of offending churches and religions in general. While church authorities have agreed that there are problems with the current system of RE, they still believe it is important for schools to have a 'church presence' on this subject. This has made them reluctant to relinquish their position.
The Ultimate View
There is the idea that studying religions should be something possible to promote awareness and understanding of them. Attention should also be placed on encouraging indigenous people to embrace their own cultural and spiritual traditions on this front.
Whether or not students are practising members of a religion or not, there is value in them learning about and being familiar with various religions. At the same time, they should have access to their own religious heritage and those of other cultures. To give exclusive attention to one in specific is detrimental to achieving this.
Thus, a balance needs to be located and maintained. Australia still has work to do in this area, as do many countries around the world. Religious studies have come a long way in the past decades. Time will tell how the future looks for the subject in schools.