Victoria’s schools are facing changes to the curriculum following the Victorian government’s decision to take Special Religious Instruction (SRI) out of regular class time.
Under the new ruling, the 30-minute weekly SRI spot will be filled by ‘building respectful relationships’ content, focusing on world history, the understanding of different cultures and domestic violence prevention.
According to last week’s announcement, the new program will be compulsory for primary and secondary school students.
Over the last year, enrolments in SRI classes dropped by 42 per cent, after the government moved from an ‘opt out’ policy to requiring parents to ‘opt in’ if they wanted their children to attend SRI.
“You can’t have 20 per cent of school kids undertaking special religious education, while the other children are not getting teaching or learning, during precious curriculum time,” Education Minister for Victoria James Merlino told the ABC.
Daniel Bellis, coordinator of the archdiocese’s SRI program in Victoria, has said the government’s decision is “a significant blow to the viability of the [archdiocese’s] program.”
Across Melbourne 15 state schools currently have a Greek Orthodox instructor and the program is facilitated to schools under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
“While the domestic violence and respectful relationships program is of the utmost importance, SRI is also valid and important, and room should be made within the curriculum and within class time,” Mr Bellis told Neos Kosmos.
Asked about reactions of parents to the change, he said that he has received a number of phone calls and emails from people being distressed and disappointed that the religious instruction will be scrapped from regular class hours.
From the start of the 2016 school year, students wishing to attend SRI classes will have to sign up for sessions either before or after school hours or during lunch time.
Father Christos Dimolianis, chaplain of the Greek Orthodox St John’s College, said the situation would cause inconvenience to many parents and might deter students from enrolling.
“Some would find it rough to get there before school hours, while during lunch time it could seem to the children as a detention; that they miss out on their break while the other children are outside playing.”
As a private school run and owned by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, St John’s College is not affected by the new measures.
As part of the curriculum from prep to Year 12, students may attend a religious education program focusing on the Orthodox perspective, but which also explores aspects of other religious thought.
Father Dimolianis said the main complaint expressed by parents in relation to SRI was that the children opting out of religious instruction were not enjoying quality class time.
“If parents would like their children to have religious instruction they should be able to have it somehow, somewhere.”