Can a Catholic high school teach its students that all religions are equal? Paul Donovan, the principal of Montreal’s Loyola High School, says it can’t be done. So the boys-only Jesuit school is taking the province to court over its new ethics and religious culture program.
The new course was introduced by the Ministry of Education to teach about various religious traditions in Quebec society, with the goal of increasing tolerance among students. It teaches about Protestantism and Catholicism, as well as Judaism, native spiritualities and other religions.
But Donovan says his teachers can’t deliver a religious course without a Catholic perspective—a perspective that promotes Catholicism ahead of other beliefs. “Our parents send their sons to us because of our mission and the values that we hold as a Catholic, Jesuit school,” he wrote in a letter to the ministry. “It is our firm conviction that we cannot honestly undertake the program . . . without compromising some of those values.”
Donovan asked for an exemption from the province’s program before going to court, suggesting Loyola’s existing religious curriculum as an alternative. But Quebec Education Minister Michelle Courchesne has made it clear that a class slanted toward one religion is not acceptable.
“Part of the mandate of the course is to present religion in an even-handed way,” says Daniel Weinstock, a professor who consulted in the drafting of the new program. “If a school has as its guiding intention to inculcate children into the Catholic faith, it clearly means a part of their mandate is not to present all religions in an even-handed way.”
Loyola’s court proceedings have just finished and it may be months before a decision is handed down. But Weinstock says Quebec’s courts have historically been averse to overturning provincial legislation—so chances are, come this fall, Loyola will be teaching that all religions are equal, whether it likes it or not.
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Catholicism died a quick death in Quebec during la révolution tranquille. Many would add "and deservedly so," not without merit. And there is a "spiritual void" left. Parents must have the role of spiritual guidance counselors for their children, but I think we can agree that parents have shown a wee bit of reluctance as the anti-Catholic recoil continues. And this watered-down lowest common denominator Religious Trivial Pursuit 101, as well-intentioned as most bureaucratic nonsense begins, runs the risk of exposing in young children the anything-goes philosophy of spiritual development.
And yet.
The Ministère de l'éducation provides per-pupil funding to public school boards AND to private schools. There is actually quite a generous subsidy to the private education of children whose parents took that burden off the hands of the state. It is thus not surprising that l'état feels entitled to meddle in the affairs of these schools. How I wish it would be in standardized evaluations of the three R's, but, whatever…
Madeyoulook you said :
"The Ministère de l'éducation provides per-pupil funding to public school boards AND to private schools."
Provides to some private schools, not all. And funding is not an issue here : whether a private school receives or not some money through the State (taken from the parent's pocket who pay twice since the "generous" subsidy covers at most 60% of tuition) , the course of Ethics and religious culture is imposed on all the children attending that school.
Such is the meaning of liberty in Quebec : the State must be able train all its future citizens (this is actually what the Minister of Education stated in their written closing arguments).
The three Rs in Canada's Public Schools:
Recitation, Regurgitation, and Rote.
The three news Rs are also imposed in Quebec so-called "private" schools since the curriculum is basically the same (a few extra courses can be presented), the teaching methodology (skill-based rather than fact-based) is the same and the exams are the same…
The State has a Monopoly of Education rather than a Ministry of Education.
So how can this be fixed/changed?
People are starting their own schools; and recently, ArchBishop Ouellet has started one, too. Other parents are homeschooling. Parents must stop blaming BigBrother and get off their butts and do their duty; and many things will be "fixed"… In the seventies; my mother supplemented our school system education with courses at home, and she supplied educational activities for us as a family and with other families. We were seven kids and my dad worked away most of the time; and my mother also had to work parttime to supplement our family income… People need to turn off the tv and start living! If parents educated their children well; we would have better politicians to vote for!!!
Interestingly enough, it is the children and teens who need most to start thinking objectively about religion that will be hardest to reach with this aspect of the cirriculum.
Many parents in Québec have been homeschooling their children. This is a huge sacrifice of time, effort and money; but the parents can choose the curriculum and the teaching methods. there are not many French-language based courses; but the government of France has elaborated one for its diplomatic corps, and anyone can apply for it. You can also get the tutoring and the correcting, if you want. At first; all this might seem to be beyond the means of ordinary families; but in my case, parents and friends helped with the bills; and we used homeschooling, cooperative schooling, private (really, really, private) schools, and international schools, to educate our children. I am now a grandmother, and still paying back for the wonderful education of our four children; but I pay back with GRATITUDE and joy; our children are great adults; intelligent leaders; hard workers and good people. Only two have chosen to practice the Catholic Faith; but all four have strong principles of decency; which their friends, employers, and colleagues appreciate. We could never have done this alone; but nobody has to go it alone. YOU ARE LOVED. Deo Gratias.
Actually, even home-schooled kids are technically obliged to follow the provincial curriculum, including this new program! It may not be easy to enforce but it is still the law.
Excuse my bad english. How do you like your soup, salad, meat, dessert and wine in the same plate? That's exactly what "our" government wants the schools teach to the children. This government is driving our lifes more and more when deciding what OUR kids will beleive in! Deo Gratias, we still have choice to comment, but for how long…
1) "People are starting their own schools; and recently, ArchBishop Ouellet has started one, too"
It will still have to teach the Government sanctioned courses including Ethics and Religious Culture. (If you need pointers to that effect I can supply)
2) "Other parents are homeschooling."
Yes, there is some practical freedom there (at great cost), but none in principle. Maitre Boucher, the Government counsel at the Loyola court case, said that homeschoolers must still teach this course (although this is difficult to enforce, some homeschoolers have to show the ethics work done during the year when they present their so-called portfolio to their schoolboard).
The only official exemptions : Inuits and Crees in the Kativik schoolboard.
http://pouruneecolelibre.blogspot.com/2009/05/cit...
3) "Parents must stop blaming BigBrother and get off their butts"
Parents must go on blaming Big Brother and get off their butts.
First Nations have suffered so much it's normal that they should not be exposed to the Repentance & Guilt-centric curriculum.