Public Funds for Religious Schools?
September 12, 2007 by Pieter Dorsman
Although it is enshrined in their constitution and literally an article of faith for the Dutch, the government funding of religious schools has increasingly been questioned in recent years. The reason is that the time-tested mechanism devised to mitigate tensions between Catholics and Protestants had inadvertently created Muslim schools that hindered the immigrant integration process and also contributed to the radicalization of some Muslim youths. The idea to gut Article 23 therefore came primarily form the right, most notably from Ayaan Hirsi Ali when she was till active in Dutch politics. The Dutch left and faith-based parties opted for a status quo where all religious schools would continue to get funded, with some increased monitoring of Muslim schools.
In Canada the reverse is the case. A bitter election campaign in Canada’s largest province Ontario got underway this week and the incumbent Liberals will have to fight off a Conservative challenge. The latter have staked their campaign on the principle of extending funding – the Ontario taxpayer funds both public and Catholic schools – to all religious schooling. And to up that idea further, Ontario’s conservatives have also suggested that in addition to evolution other theories should now be part of the provincial curriculum.
The proposals are probably a mixture of principled beliefs and some political expediency (Jewish, Muslim and Hindu communities reacted positively to the idea). However the Dutch example has made it clear that there are serious limitations to enthusiastically fund all religious schooling. Especially in a multicultural setting where issues of integration and inclusion are of paramount importance, governments would be well advised to think twice before stepping into the morass of funding religious schools.
It is odd of course that public school reform - curb power of teacher unions, introduce vouchers – does not appear to be on the agenda of either party.
NOTE: If you’re interested in following the Ontario campaign, Warren Kinsella’s blog is probably the place to go. He’s a liberal aide of former PM Chretien, but probably one of Canada’s better commentators. A sort of Canadian Dick Morris.
Actually in Canada it depends on the province as education is a provincial matter according to the constitution. Quebec, for example, funds almost all private schools, including Jewish and Islamic schools, although financing is half the rate per student of what public schools receive.
Alberta and other provinces also finance religious schools.
The original Canadian constitution, dating from the 19th century, specifically provided for Catholic schools in Ontario to be funded by the province at a time when the only religious minority were Catholics. The problem now is there are significant numbers of other religions who are seeking the same. To amend the Canadian constitution in order to take away Catholic school funding would be a nightmare. Hence the drive by some politicians seeking votes in an election campaign to enlarge state financing to other denominations.
Richard: good additional information. Thanks.
Pieter: great post. Also fascinating to see how in Europe conservatives are calling for abolishing art. 23 GW, while in the Canada conservatives are calling for more funding for religious schools.
Fascinating development.
Why is that? Too controversial?
Another question is whether funding is tied to government-mandated criteria, such as on-site visits, control over educational materials and curriculum, etc.?
Marc - in general, in Canada, all state-subsidized schools must follow the program of studies as provided by the provincial minister of education. the schools are also subject to inspection.
Michael - There are charter schools in the public system particularly in Alberta i.e. for science, arts, sports, etc.
In fact why should state-subsidies be limited to religious schools? Why not subsidize all independent schools?
Why why why can’t kids have the same curriculum? I realize that no curriculum can be completely reality-based or balanced, but I seriously question the neccesity of catering to religious minorities when it comes to children and what they learn.
Maybe we should at least give them a chance, so I guess that if some teacher in a muslim school says that gay people should be hung (one example, but sadly not an unlikely one) then we just fire him and, if the stupidity persists, send the kids away to normal damn schools, no matter how much the parents mewl.
Michael: Attempts to disrupt union influence and introduce choice in public ‘franchises’ are politically very risky anywhere, but in particular in Canada.
[...] Public Funds for Religious Schools? By Pieter Dorsman The latter have staked their campaign on the principle of extending funding - the Ontario taxpayer funds both public and Catholic schools - to all religious schooling. And to up that idea further, Ontario’s conservatives have also … The Van Der Galiën Gazette - http://mvdg.wordpress.com [...]
[...] 11th, 2007 by Pieter Dorsman About a month ago I touched on how funding for religious schools had become the decisive issue in Ontario’s election campaign. It turned out last night that [...]