By Faisal Bhabha

TORONTO, ONTARIO –John Tory, leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives, has raised the ire of some in the province after suggesting, in the run up to Ontario’s October provincial election, that the province extend public funding to private religious schools.

Opponents fear such a proposal will lead to religious and ethnic segregation and undermine Ontario’s public school system by directing funds out of its classrooms and into religious schools that may harbour beliefs that run against the received wisdom of the secular system.

These are familiar arguments. Claims for minority accommodation are usually accompanied by majority resistance and doomsday scenarios: allowing gays to marry would demean the institution of marriage; permitting turbans on Sikh Mounties would be an affront to tradition and the list continues.

There is also a more pointed angle in the opposition to religious school funding. Its scope is trained on Muslim schools, many of which are presumed to operate poisonous, intolerant classrooms. Indeed, even the Muslim Canadian Congress considers public funding for private Muslim schools to be tantamount to supporting an “indoctrination program that treats Muslim girls as second-class citizens.”

In the post-9/11 world, fears of “home grown” fanaticism abound. The cure, some suggest, is to be found in the values presumed to be inculcated through the public school system. Yet the well-documented prevalence of ethnic tensions in public school playgrounds remains an unsolved problem. Inclusion is only beneficial if it affirms the dignity of all pupils. Some parents prefer a separate learning environment for their children. Having teachers and fellow pupils who share a similar world view and culture may be believed to reduce the risks of alienation, while reinforcing particular value systems.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE….

Short URL: http://tinyurl.com/ykkfyvs