From The Sydney Morning Herald
God's dollar better spent on welfare
By Adele Horin
July 9, 2011
Opinion
Illustration: Simon Bosch
It's not just a bunch of atheists and self-interested psychologists who are worried about the school chaplaincy program. The head of the Anglican Education Commission in Sydney, Bryan Cowling, has also cast doubt on the role of school chaplains in government schools, in part because they don't "need to have any particular credentials".
His comments last week add to the concerns about an ill-thought out program that was implemented after a rush of blood to John Howard's head.
No one asked principals or teachers what they needed to deal with increasing problems of depression, anxiety, disruptive behaviour, bullying and self-harm among students. No one evaluated what worked and didn't work in schools, or where the gaps were in providing for student welfare. Principals got steamrolled. It was a chaplain or nothing
His comments last week add to the concerns about an ill-thought out program that was implemented after a rush of blood to John Howard's head.
No one asked principals or teachers what they needed to deal with increasing problems of depression, anxiety, disruptive behaviour, bullying and self-harm among students. No one evaluated what worked and didn't work in schools, or where the gaps were in providing for student welfare. Principals got steamrolled. It was a chaplain or nothing
