Protestant Education in Australia: A Public Asset

Abstract

Australia has a system of education that is internationally recognized both for its quality and its diversity, much of which can be attributed to the public’s past and present recognition of religious schooling. Though this recognition has not always been supportive, the current relationship between the state and religious schools demonstrates that they not only provide an educational resources for the state, but they are more highly desired by concerned families. This study of Protestant schools begins with a historical overview of religious schooling in Australia. This overview highlights not only the public tensions associated with religious schools, but also the tensions associated with secular schools. Combined with a liberal view of church/state relations, these tensions produced one of the world’s most developed systems of school choice. In Australia, families can now chose to attend schools operated by the state, the Catholic Church, or by independent groups. Each sector of schools is regulated by the state, yet reflects the unique philosophy and priorities of its operating authority. Whereas state schools are secular, and Catholic schools are Catholic, independent schools (the fastest growing sector) reflect diverse education philosophies, 65% of which are Protestant Christian. Thus, with this study’s focus on Protestant schools, the characteristics and the affiliations of these schools are discussed. However, the central concern of this study goes beyond providing a historic, demographic, and structural survey of Australia’s Protestant schools. The latter half of this study articulates the particular qualities that religious schools provide toward the public’s educational concerns and ways by which these qualities can be preserved and protected. Though Australia currently provides tax money to non-public schools on a sliding scale, curricular regulations (now in the form of a national curriculum) are increasing. These and other state regulations along with the responses of Protestant schools provide lessons for other nations toward the development of strong educational systems that make the strengths of religious schools available to the public. This study concludes with some key lessons to be learned from Australia’s Protestant schools: religious schools should be viewed as an asset to the public, to minimize educational conflicts, the public should not favor particular religious or “secular” perspectives, and non-government schools must join their influences under umbrella organizations to buffer their interests against the power and instability of public regulatory bodies.