Petition · PE01498 · Session 4
Religious Representatives on Local Authority Education Committees
Signatures
1
Comments
78
Considered
4 meetings
What it asks
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to bring forward legislative proposals to repeal Section 124 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, as amended by Section 31 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
This would end the legal obligation on local authorities to appoint three unelected religious representatives to sit on their education committees.
This would end the legal obligation on local authorities to appoint three unelected religious representatives to sit on their education committees.
What the petitioner did first
The action we call for requires a change in primary legislation at Scottish government level. This is not in the gift or power of local councils or other public bodies.
Nevertheless, we have publicised our concerns in this matter, and sought wider public support. ESS has received the following statements from elected members:
Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow:
“In a society in which increasing numbers of people don’t practice any religion, it’s high time that we questioned a practice which gives religious hierarchies an influence over every child’s education. I’m particularly concerned at the involvement of people who would promote utterly unscientific notions like creationism; pushing this absurd ideology at children is the very opposite of education.”
Sandy Howat, City of Edinburgh Councillor:
“Unelected, unaccountable and I would suggest untenable? Undemocratic influence over public education is fundamentally at odds with the principles of respect, equality and shared freedoms. All contributions to committee deliberations should be welcomed, yet continued undemocratic privilege of the few over the many is an outdated tradition we should remove. As we look to create a fairer Scotland with liberty at its core, we need to ask ourselves what this ‘privilege’ says about our values; it’s time for a new enlightenment.”
Bailie Dr Nina Baker, Glasgow City councillor:
“Whilst I can see that representatives of major world faiths might have a role in advising on curriculum content for the teaching of comparative religion in schools, I believe they should have no right to vote on councils’ decision-making bodies. Those votes should be reserved for accountable, elected members only. A recent contribution from the Roman Catholic representative on Glasgow’s executive was to make clear his church could never accept the principle and practice of shared-campus schools, a policy with full cross-party support.”
Further information is available via the Edinburgh Secular Society website. See link below:
http://edinburghsecularsociety.com/2013/07/17/edinburgh-secular-society-exposes-religious-interference-in-the-heart-of-local-democracy/
Nevertheless, we have publicised our concerns in this matter, and sought wider public support. ESS has received the following statements from elected members:
Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow:
“In a society in which increasing numbers of people don’t practice any religion, it’s high time that we questioned a practice which gives religious hierarchies an influence over every child’s education. I’m particularly concerned at the involvement of people who would promote utterly unscientific notions like creationism; pushing this absurd ideology at children is the very opposite of education.”
Sandy Howat, City of Edinburgh Councillor:
“Unelected, unaccountable and I would suggest untenable? Undemocratic influence over public education is fundamentally at odds with the principles of respect, equality and shared freedoms. All contributions to committee deliberations should be welcomed, yet continued undemocratic privilege of the few over the many is an outdated tradition we should remove. As we look to create a fairer Scotland with liberty at its core, we need to ask ourselves what this ‘privilege’ says about our values; it’s time for a new enlightenment.”
Bailie Dr Nina Baker, Glasgow City councillor:
“Whilst I can see that representatives of major world faiths might have a role in advising on curriculum content for the teaching of comparative religion in schools, I believe they should have no right to vote on councils’ decision-making bodies. Those votes should be reserved for accountable, elected members only. A recent contribution from the Roman Catholic representative on Glasgow’s executive was to make clear his church could never accept the principle and practice of shared-campus schools, a policy with full cross-party support.”
Further information is available via the Edinburgh Secular Society website. See link below:
http://edinburghsecularsociety.com/2013/07/17/edinburgh-secular-society-exposes-religious-interference-in-the-heart-of-local-democracy/
Where it was considered
Official Report-
14 Jan 20141 mention
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18 Mar 20141 mention
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6 May 20141 mention
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2 Feb 20171 mention
Signatures by country
1,777 online signaturesComments
78 comments, oldest first78 comments · showing 1–50
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Andrew Wilson 11 Oct 2013I'm not sure why believing in a god should allow someone a free pass into positions of responsibility in contemporary Scotland.
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Alistair McBay 14 Oct 2013From the evidence we have of churches leveraging their chaplaincy roles in schools and the religious observance guidelines for the purposes of evangelism and proselytising, so they also leverage these undemocratic appointments for their own self-serving interests. The Church of Scotland, for example, highlights these roles in its Education Committee workplan and provides training courses, handbooks etc so as to provide "better trained LA reps able to be more effective on LA Education Committees". Effective for whose ultimate benefit, exactly, given that the Church has boasted of 'holding the balance of power' on more than half the committees?
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Matthew McCurdy 14 Oct 2013Why do religious organisation still have such positions of influence? Irrational belief in the supernatural and ancient mythical stories is disappearing at an exponential rate yet these organisations are still allowed such disproportionate influence. They need to be removed.
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Meghan Jones 14 Oct 2013I don't believe in the government forcing officials that were not elected by the people to sit on education boards, If the people wish to see religious officials sit in a place of responsiblity to our children then the people should have the right to elect them, not have them thrust upon us.
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Paul Sanderson 14 Oct 2013The Non Christians that make up something like 47% of the population are not being represented properly by the unelected pious which is outrageous in a democracy.
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Alistair J Paxton 14 Oct 2013Religion should play no part in any Government.
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Angus Brown 14 Oct 2013Long overdue amendment to an imposed religious presence in a committee which is well served by elected Local Councillors. Their non-elected presence is not democratic.
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Jean Park 14 Oct 2013Far too often, the representatives of the various churches are provided with a platform to air their views on secular issues, as if they represented Scotland's society as a whole. This is no longer true. As far as education is concerned, and speaking as a former Depute Head of a Senior Secondary school, I feel religious observance (as opposed to comparative Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies) has no place in schools. Our country has been divided along religious grounds for too long, and the best way to solve this is to educate our children together, without recourse to superstitions and fairy stories more suited to primitive, illiterate and uneducated societies existing hundreds or thousands of years ago in the Middle East!
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Ian Gegan 14 Oct 2013Their reasons for continuing the status quo are that they 'used' to run the schools...yes 'USED' to. Also some weak argument about bringing experience to the educational discussion...utter nonsense, it is about them maintaining influence and power for their irrational and outdated organisations. Get them out, then we can have a reasoned discussion about finally having a properly secular and inclusive education system in Scotland.
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Rob Willox 14 Oct 2013The current position gives disproportionate influence to a group of unelected representatives from bodies that are not fully representative of the views and opinions of a large proportion of the population. Undemocratic, unrepresentative, unnecessary.
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Liz Albert 14 Oct 2013Nearly half of Scottish people are of no religion. It is undemocratic and outdated to have a legal requirement of 3 religious representatives on every education committee, none of those representatives elected.
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Marie Moser 14 Oct 2013I don't believe that non-elected, unaccountable and sometimes bigoted or intolerant people should have any say in the education system .
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David A Lord 14 Oct 2013We non-religious have to put ourselves up for election to the council. Why do the religious need this privilege of avoiding democratic election in our diverse community today?
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Graham Hughes 14 Oct 2013I have never been able to understand why an irrational belief in a giant invisible man in the sky and a desire to structure modern society along the principles set out in a book of ancient middle eastern creation myths should be seen as reason for someone to be given special influence in society rather than as something which should call into question their ability to make a rational contribution. If children weren't taught religious belief as historical fact at an early age the number of those with religious beliefs would decline even more rapidly. Schools should be places of education and not religious worship. Some people with religious beliefs may undoubtedly be able to make a positive contribution to running schools as individuals but religions themselves should have no place in forming education policy.
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John MacKenzie 15 Oct 2013The World is becoming an increasingly smaller place and if Scotland is to play a meaningful role in it then our young citizens need to appreciate and understand the beliefs and values of people across the Globe. Education in Scotland therefore needs to be geared accordingly and free of any bias towards a particular religion or cult. We cannot stick our head in the sand. If we are to cope with far away events that affect us then we need to develop citizens who are sufficiently broad minded not to condemn on the basis of some outdated belief.
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Les Reid 15 Oct 2013Equal rights for all, regardless of religious or non-religious belief! Let's have an end to religious privilege! Equal rights for humanists, atheists, agnostics and secularists!
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Brian Casey 15 Oct 2013Religious education is the route cause of sectarianism and division within Scotland. We also shouldn't force religious beliefs on anyone especially children .
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David Latto 15 Oct 2013If there were less religion and more democracy, Scotland would be a better place.
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Peter Harrison 15 Oct 2013If people want religious representatives in the councils then they can elect them in. That's the way it should work. No free pass just because you happen to be a member of a certain religion. Nobody gets a free unelected position because of other superstitious beliefs. If people want them, they can elect them.
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Eric henderson 15 Oct 2013Fear and the need to be part of something or group that will take care of are all very human feeling. yet as always this insecurity leads to opportunity to collect power. My most horrifying experience of late was the "god channel" on sky this is truly frightening literally with the usual banner of we need to collect $5 million at the bottom.This truly is an uphill battle I am glad to be part of it and hope that one day even the smallest of contribution leads to a world of rationality without fear. ps my bible or as close to it is the "ragged trousered philanthropist" Robert tressel. where all things human are considered.
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Mikey 15 Oct 2013Even disregarding the ludicrousness of religion, it is still ridiculous that a religious person is afforded extraordinary rights and sympathy over a non-religious person.
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marcus 15 Oct 2013Thought for the day. Tax religions and give the money to the poor.
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Campbell Gavin Boyd 15 Oct 2013Unelected representatives are anti-democratic and simply not appropriate in a modern country like Scotland.
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Max Jacobson 15 Oct 2013It should not be forced upon children to be educated on the teachings of increasingly derelict religious beliefs. Only facts should be represented in schools, which are after all eduction establishments, not a means for preaching to children.
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julie tippins 15 Oct 2013I have no problem with people believing in unsubstantiated ideas- such as deities, but allowing them the power to influence decisions on the education of children in the 21st century is surely unacceptable when you consider religious views on the oppression of women, religious homophobia and irresponsible views on contraception. Religious indoctrination has no place in schools or education policies
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R.McPoland 15 Oct 2013Let reason ad rationality prevail.
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Derek Hutcheson 15 Oct 2013Having any religious faith should immediately bar people from any public office. Any and all charity status should be removed from these organisations also. Only then will we be able to break the endless cycle of brainwashing of humanity.
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Gordon Blair Couttie 15 Oct 2013Scotland suffered from the effects of religion for long enough. Please seperate Church & State NOW!!
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Julie Gilmore 15 Oct 2013There is no need for religion to be part of the education system. Should follow the French example by having it excluded. Religion is in schools because they prey on children of an impressionable age who if they question what is being stated, the teachers and religious figures dismiss them and do not have the tools to answer them onstructively. When I said to my sons Head Teacher that he will not participate in the prayer in assembly she said that he did not need to go to assembly. I stated to her that assembly was for news of the school not for religious purposes. Throughout his time at school there has been various points when religion was wrongly and inaccurately taught. Such a shame that these predators are allowed so much influence in our childrens education. Thank goodness my child has a balanced upbringing by me, where I encourage him to make up his mind about religion when he is an informed adult (hence the reason he is not Christened). Good Luck with the petition, hopefully these insecure religious figures in education are going to be a thing of the past.
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kenneth dailey 15 Oct 2013Your religion should never qualify you to sit on education committees.
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glenn 15 Oct 2013If one of God's supposed representatives is to be seated on these committees, perhaps He could get His rep elected first?
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Barry Clark 15 Oct 2013Athiest should be the chosen background as that would be the most common and unbiased background to have.
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Gary Miller 15 Oct 2013Time to move forward.
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Tom Donald 15 Oct 2013People who adhere to religions are not the right people to influence children. The catholic church in particular has shown utter disregard for children's welfare in recent years, isn't that enough to show that religious people can't be trusted?
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David Newman 15 Oct 2013Hard to believe this is 2013 sometimes.
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Derek Littler 15 Oct 2013Education should be about verifiable facts, not mythology purporting to be 'truth'. Stop poisoning the childrens' minds.
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Janet Moxley 15 Oct 2013If people want to be on public bodies on a religous "ticket" they should go through the same selection or election procedure as other members of that body. No special privileges for those how prefer to believe than to rationalise!
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Harley Baretz 15 Oct 2013Mr.Hughes, I couldn't agree more strongly! Over here,on the other side of the pond , many in the southern states reject Darwinian evolution for what is known as "Creationism". I.e. The man in the sky created the universe , the Earth is only a few thousand years old , there never was a Big Bang, and we are certainly not descended from apes (God forbid). And, believe it or not, there are about 40 or so percent of this nation of some 3 hundred million who when polled, agreed with this backward , non science. Small wonder the U S is losing it's status in the world.
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James Irving 15 Oct 2013I agree with Graham Hughes, John MacKensie and Les Reid statements below 100%
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William Forsyth 16 Oct 2013Their only mandate is from is from a captive audience.
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Mike Neal 16 Oct 2013Religious privilege is an anachronism that has no place in 21st century society. By all means have religious bodies put up candidates, and if they win ALL the seats, fair enough.
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Prof Paul Braterman 16 Oct 2013Churches with their vested interests have privileged seats on education committees, with full voting rights over the allocation of public funds, whether anyone wants them or not. this is so, so wrong.
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Maureen Hutchison 16 Oct 2013Simply cannot believe that unelected religious representatives are on school boards given the number of people in Scotland of no religion .
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tony walker 16 Oct 2013the very fact that these people are delusional and have an invisible friend should disbar them from going anywhere near children at all never mind being able to affect what they are taught.
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Tony Hamilton 16 Oct 2013This is archaic and anti democratic not to mention giving political power to a group that openly discriminates against minority groups. Giving power to groups who profess to be working on behalf of, and answerable only to to, an invisible, unverifiable entity through ancient texts and telepathic processes, is an unnerving thought that could easily lead to bad places if you really think about it rationally
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Iain Kerr 16 Oct 2013The audible option is inaudible!
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william Rodgers 16 Oct 2013The country should be Scotland not Afghanistan, my laptop is playing up as it's getting on a bit, like me in fact.
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Gail Addis 16 Oct 2013Scotland should lead the way to a Secular Society.
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Josh Lord 17 Oct 2013I can't even imagine what the justification for this archaic policy could be. The idea that religious representatives have some kind of sagacious status simply by virtue of being well versed in a particular mythology is risible.
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Andrew Barrie 17 Oct 2013This is appalling, and it needs to stop NOW.