We’re doing a lot of talking right now regarding education. But we are forgetting something that goes beyond talking and demands action – the rangatahi at the heart of our education system. Our young people have, for the last few years, experienced the unprecedented nature of a pandemic – lockdowns with education being dished out Read more
Selling alcohol at some school fundraising events may violate the right of children in the eyes of the United Nations. That is the view of Hawke’s Bay District Health Board. It will now oppose applications for alcohol sales at school functions where children are present. The board is concerned at the presence and promotion of Read more
Religion is slipping off the agenda in Irish schools. In a meeting with the Education and Training Ireland, concerned Church representatives said some community colleges were not spending enough time teaching religion. This was despite agreements and deeds of trust which stipulate that these schools should spend up to two hours teaching pupils religion each Read more
A Brisbane priest has hit out against the distribution to school children of a letter from Australia’s bishops arguing against same-sex marriage. The decision to publish and distribute the “Don’t Mess with Marriage” booklet in Catholic schools across Australia has angered Fr Terry Fitzpatrick. “I feel angry and disappointed, but not surprised, that the hierarchy Read more
In two US dioceses, the parents of children attending Catholic schools are being told they must have their children vaccinated, regardless of moral qualms. But critics say such compulsion is contrary to moral advice given by a pontifical academy. The Church has moral difficulties with certain vaccines, the cell lines for which were originally derived Read more
Dozens of prominent Catholics in San Francisco have taken out a full page ad in a major newspaper calling on the Pope to replace the local archbishop. The ad in the San Francisco Chronicle on April 16 stated Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has “fostered an atmosphere of division and intolerance”. More than 100 signatories to an Read more
Over 400 sixteen to eighteen year olds recently took part in the annual Caritas: Justice Leadership Days across every diocese in New Zealand. The young people, identified by their colleges and peers as leaders, came together to find out more about Caritas and the upcoming Caritas Challenge, 4-6 April. The days focused on Caritas’s work Read more
The Labour Party says Education Minister Hekia Parata’s consideration of performance funding in schools could lead to the most radical shakeup of education in a generation. Ms Parata has revealed that she is looking to fund schools according to the progress their pupils made. Continue reading
The number of children in England regularly hearing or reading Bible stories has halved in the last 20 – 30 years. The results come from a study by the Bible Society that says stories such as ‘Noah’s Ark’, ‘Adam and Eve’, and even the story of ‘Christmas’ is at risk of being lost to future Read more
Seismic strengthening of school buildings is underway in Wellington and Palmerston North dioceses. Catholic Schools Board executive chairperson Gary Quirke says in the next three years, CSBL plans to spend more than $20 million strengthening and replacing buildings to make schools safer in a major earthquake. As the property manager for the proprietors of 77 schools in Read more