Today CCMS presents a paper on diversity and inclusion as policy and guidance for those Catholic schools for which it has responsibility. Indeed, since the issues raised concern all Catholic schools it offers this paper to all involved in Catholic education in N Ireland at the present time. (Bishop) John McAreavey, Chair, CCMS
Address at launch of Diversity and inclusion in Catholic Maintained Schools - 1st June 06
Today CCMS presents a paper on diversity and inclusion as policy and guidance for those Catholic schools for which it has responsibility. Indeed, since the issues raised concern all Catholic schools it offers this paper to all involved in Catholic education in N Ireland at the present time.
'The Other' as a gift of God
Diversity is not new. Our earliest experience of human interaction is that ‘the other’ is different. Even when that ‘other’ shares my faith, my ethnic and cultural background, my gender and colour, s/he is ‘other’, unique and different. Part of the process of socialisation in our own families, at school and in our neighbourhood involves an appreciation that although ‘the other’ is unique and different, it is nevertheless possible for us to find common ground with him/her through shared play, activity, work and prayer.
A key element of education is to learn to recognise ‘the other’ as other, to accept that otherness and difference as a gift and a richness, and to be willing and open to enter into what makes the other different. To supplement our personal experience, education offers children literature – the novel, drama, travel writing, poetry and indeed writing of every genre – so that our imaginations can be stretched and opened to deal with elements of ‘otherness’ that the wider world offers in other places and times. Today TV adds immensely to this education and, though I am personally reluctant to admit it, it has probably overtaken the educational role of the written word.
Underlying this positive sense of welcome and openness to ‘the other’ as gift and richness is the resounding endorsement of God on the sixth day of creation in Genesis:
And so it was. God saw all that he had made, and indeed it was very good (1:31).
Respect for 'the other' - an aim of education
Education, in the formal sense, eventually gives way to the experience of life. For me, as a student of the arts, travel to France as a university student, and time spent later in Italy and Germany, as well as contact with England and U.S. opened my mind to ‘the other’. One of the most profound experiences was the fact that the sister nearest to me in my family married a man from Zimbabwe. Their marriage brought me into contact with a wider world and much that it represented, both of richness and, at times, of suffering, for all of which I am deeply grateful. I do not want to be too personal here but I would not like to give the impression that dealing with ‘the other’ at every stage has been automatic or without complexity. At times my first reaction was simply fear, fear of the unknown and unfamiliar; yet, with the benefit of hindsight, I know that my life has been enriched by every person I have met; this is still the most exciting and fulfilling aspect of my life and ministry as a bishop.
Within the context of education in N Ireland today, the challenge of educators and indeed of everyone involved in education, is to open the minds of our children to welcome and appreciate ‘the other’, whether that ‘otherness’ is in the area of political or religious identity, nationality or culture, disability or whatever. The deep-rooted sectarianism and the increasing level of hate-crime in N Ireland mean that we have to make this a real priority. The Catholic Bishops of N Ireland committed themselves to this in the document, Building peace, shaping the future (2001). This report states clearly our commitment to a threefold objective:
·To reconcile and cherish diverse identities
·To create a climate of openness
·To encourage young people to play a full part in a just and equitable society.
As a society we have struggled to deal with diversity and have often seen ‘the other’ as threat or danger, rather than as gift. For reasons that I understand but do not accept, there is a tendency in our society to diminish or ignore difference or to seek to limit it to the private sphere. This is based on the idea that difference is the basis of conflict, particularly fundamental differences in identity and culture. This, I contend, is not true. Injustice, not difference, leads to conflict; failure to recognise, accept and respond positively to difference has led to conflict and division. The attempt to remove from the other what makes them ‘other’ is an attitude of disrespect and it will not bring about peace. Having said that, I would want to add that those who affirm the rights of individuals and communities to their own identities carry a heavy responsibility to build bridges of communication and trust. This is necessary if we are to build a shared future in N Ireland.
The Catholic School
I want to say a word about the challenge of diversity and inclusion as it affects the Catholic school. Central to the identity and mission of the Catholic school is faith in Jesus Christ and a commitment to a way of living and a vision of the world that is informed by the Catholic tradition. The Catholic Church believes that young people formed in that tradition – where a central tenet is ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ – are well prepared for meeting the challenges of a divided society. This view is not universally shared.
Similarly, there are those who hold that the proper response of a Catholic school to children of other faiths or cultures is to dilute or change the identity or mission of the school. In 2004 the Holy See laid down a clear policy in this area based on four principles:
·Catholic schools must not renounce their characteristics and Christian-oriented educational programmes when immigrants’ children of other religions are accepted;
·Parents wishing to enrol their children should be clearly informed of this;
·At the same time no pupil must be compelled to take part in a Catholic liturgy or to perform actions contrary to his or her religious convictions;
·Religious instruction provided for in the school curriculum, if given [in an academic programme], may be useful to help pupils learn about a faith different from their own. In religious instruction, however, all must be educated to respect persons of different religious convictions but relativism must be avoided (Erga migrantes caritas Christi, n. 62).
The same principles apply to the Church’s teaching on moral issues, such as human sexuality, though this paper does not deal explicitly with that.
In conclusion, I want to thank those who helped to prepare this paper. It is a valuable contribution to the work of Catholic educators at a time of rapid change. It both builds on good existing practice in many of our schools and charts the way ahead.
(Bishop) John McAreavey
Chair, CCMS
AN excellent document and a great help to me as I had the task of writing our school's Inclusion Policy
what about the inclusion of teachers of non catholic faith ? i find it surprising that this has not been raised !