Libs campaign to safeguard SRI
THE Victorian Coalition has launched a petition encouraging the Labor government to reverse its changes to Special Religious Instruction (SRI), which will be cut from school hours as of 2016.
THE Victorian Coalition has launched a petition encouraging the Labor government to reverse its changes to Special Religious Instruction (SRI), which will be cut from school hours as of 2016.
Announced last week, this policy change under the Andrews government dictates that the weekly 30-minute program move to lunchtime or to before or after school hours, making way for new content on world histories, cultures, faith and ethics.
This comes just weeks after it was revealed that a change in the SRI policy had led to a number of government schools dropping the program, meaning that hundreds of Jewish students were missing out on Jewish classes that had previously been run by the United Jewish Education Board (UJEB).
Condemning last week’s announcement on SRI, Member for Caulfield David Southwick told The AJN that Premier Daniel Andrews “has broken his promise to Victorian parents and their children not to scrap SRI during school hours”.
“The Minister for Education gave UJEB a commitment to support the important education they provide to Jewish students, another Labor lie,” he said.
“I call on Daniel Andrews to reinstate the SRI program to give all families choice in their learning and freedom of religion.”
Though he labelled the decision as “disappointing for the community, and disappointing for our students”, UJEB president Yossi Goldfarb refused to be pessimistic. “We’re taking the view that now is the time to look to the future. We’ve existed for 120 years because we have adapted and changed [according] to different circumstances,” he said, adding that they continue to be in “constructive discussions” with Minister for Education James Merlino about ways of moving forward.
The AJN can reveal that Merlino will, in fact, be the guest of honour at UJEB’s 120th anniversary celebration in October.
“We do hope there will be some announcements then about a constructive relationship,” Goldfarb said, noting that he has met with Merlino twice this year, with the Minister on both occasions being receptive to the challenges faced by the Jewish community, and keen to look at what options exist for UJEB families in 2016.
Goldfarb added, “UJEB will continue to work with the government and all our stakeholders to deliver the best outcome for our 1500 students and their families.”
The organisation already provides out-of-hours classes at some schools in Melbourne, and will use the coming months to explore its options to extend the model. The board will also look at options beyond the paradigm of SRI, such as festival celebrations and UJEB’s growing bat mitzvah program.
Rather than suggesting that religion is not important, Merlino said the changes in the curriculum should be indicative that religion has a “unique and valued place” in Victoria’s history and in contemporary society.
“These changes are an example of the rich, contemporary education that Victorians can expect from our government schools,” he said.
“They reflect the importance of religion and ethics in our society, and ensure that all school students, regardless of their background or faith, can learn about the ideas and values that define a modern, multicultural Victoria.”
For more information on how to sign the petition, contact David Southwick’s office on (03) 9527 3866.
PHOEBE ROTH
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