Counsellors needed, not chaplains

By Angelo Gavrielatos

The National School Chaplaincy Program announced by the Howard Government represents one of the most misguided and divisive policies yet to be announced by the Howard Government.

Allocating $90 million over three years to place chaplains in schools is a flagrant misuse of urgently needed funding for public schools. Further, it represents a crude attempt to provide even more funding to private religious schools.

At a time of ever increasing social pressures on children, what is needed is an enhancement of professional school counselling services. Currently the school counsellor to student ratio stands at about 1:1000 in NSW schools. This money for the National School Chaplaincy Program would be better spent on additional school counsellors to achieve a more manageable caseload.

Furthermore, the Federal Government's proposal stands in stark contra-distinction to and undermines Australia's secular traditions. The potential division caused by this program, within school communities of different faiths, is of concern.

It is only in a secular society where freedom from and freedom for religion is guaranteed. Recognising this, the opportunity already exists in all public schools for local, recognised religious groups to provide special religious education (scripture).

In the words of Geoffrey Robertson QC: "Public education has the great advantage of secularity. In a world where religion is becoming the greatest threat to rationality surely secular learning should be regarded as a plus".

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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Last Modified: 08 Feb 2007