Integration slated

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 23

Integration slated

PA Palmerston North Last week’s integration of Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt into the State school system marked the beginning of the end of the State school system, according to Mr D. Miller the national spokesman for the Rationalists’ association. “The agreement legali s e s religious discrimination in our education system. While traditional State schools are open to all people regard* less of class, creed or religion, entry into integrated schools is determined on a basis of religious belief,” Mr Miller said. “Pupils whose parents not reflect the school’s ‘special character’ will be effectively barred from attending that school. However, if the roll is unfilled some (non-Roman Catholic) pupils maybe admitted, provided that their numbers are less than one-fourteenth of the total roll and provided that they can be distributed throughout the

school so as not to threaten its ‘special character’,” Mr Miller said. “Similarly, teaching positions are tagged so that only Roman Catholics qualify for acceptance. Teachers who do not reflect the school’s special character will not be permitted to teach at the shcool. The school owners ha v e the exclusive right to veto any teaching applicant without reason, or appeal, solely on the basis of non-conformity with the ‘special character’. “This is an intolerable situation, considering that the integrated school is totally State-funded, but is closed to the vast majority of New Zealand pupils and teachers. Roman Catholics comprise only 15 per cent of our population, and more than 80 per cent of private schools in New Zealand are Roman Catholic,” Mr Miller said.