Nueva Zelanda: Secular education case heads to Human Rights Tribunal

Oceanía/Nueva Zelanda/Octubre de 2016/Fuente: RNZ

RESUMEN: La Red de Educación Secular quiere que la ley que hace posible que las clases de Biblia que se enseñan en las escuelas estatales sean declarados incompatibles con la Ley de Derechos Humanos. Según un portavoz de la red, David Hines dijo que el caso estaría dirigido a cuatro áreas específicas de la Ley de Educación, que no protegió adecuadamente a los niños contra la discriminación religiosa en las escuelas. El caso dijo que la ley permite a las escuelas a estar sesgados, no para proteger el derecho de los niños más pequeños de optar por la educación religiosa, y permitió que los voluntarios para ejecutar programas que incluyen lecciones de la Biblia y asambleas religiosas sin proteger a los niños de otras religiones o sin religión de la intimidación y desinformación. Sr. Hines dijo que el grupo ha presentado su caso ante el tribunal, y espera para verlo ante el Tribunal Supremo debido a su amplio significado.

The Secular Education Network wants the law that makes it possible for bible classes to be taught in state schools declared inconsistent with the Human Rights Act.

Network spokesperson David Hines said the case would target four specific areas of the Education Act, which failed to adequately protect children against religious discrimination in schools.

The case said the Act allowed schools to be biased, failed to protect the right of younger children to opt out of religious education, and permitted volunteers to run programmes including bible lessons and religious assemblies without protecting children from other religions or no religion from bullying and misinformation.

Mr Hines said the group has lodged its case with the tribunal, and hopes to see it fast-tracked to the High Court because of its broad significance.

Only pupils aged over 16 are able to opt out of tuition that goes against their religious beliefs.

He said some state schools gave bible lessons under provisions in the Education Act that allowed volunteers to run Christian-biased programmes.

«Preaching … and it’s basically evangelism, it’s training people to be Christians.

«We’re not against education about religion, which already happens a bit in social studies, and so we say that should continue, but it should continue on a more thoroughly prepared base.»

Mr Hines noted a more narrow case first brought by parent Jeff McClintock several years ago was dismissed by the Supreme Court last week.

Mr McClintock’s case was directed against a single school and a more narrow piece of law. He said when he enrolled his seven-year-old daughter at Red Beach School he chose not to have her take part in the school’s Values in Action class.

His argument was that the school’s decision to put his daughter in the corner of a separate classroom during the religious studies class was like having her in a naughty corner or detention.

Fuente: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/315728/secular-education-case-heads-to-human-rights-tribunal