Australia: faith under attack in schools
In 2014, thousands of schoolchildren across the Australian State of Victoria received Christian religious education provided by the Access Ministries organisation. However, this particular ministry is under severe pressure due to the activities of very influential lobby groups consisting of parents and social activists.
Peter Riddell, Vice Principal (Academic) at the Melbourne School of Theology and Senior Fellow of Kairos Journal
The first school in Victoria had its curriculum set as early as 1840. That curriculum embedded religious instruction among the broader range of subjects, at a time when such integration of faith instruction with secular subjects was widely accepted. In order to build a sense of unity in the crucial area of the educational formation of young Australians, the Joint Council for Religious Instruction in State Schools was established in 1920. It was the forerunner of today’s Access Ministries.
