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Australia: Education a key battlefront in tightly contested WA election

Australia/Marzo de 2017/Autora: Chelsea Attard/Fuente: Educacion Hq

RESUMEN: Cuando los educadores acudan a las urnas para las elecciones del 11 de marzo en WA, nuevas escuelas, fondos, asistentes de educación y el programa de Escuelas Seguras estarán al frente. Al dirigirse a la elección, el Ministro de Educación de Washington, Peter Collier, ha estado orgullosamente destacando la labor realizada por el Gobierno Nacional-Liberal hasta ahora. «Los últimos años han sido un período de reforma sin precedentes en la educación en Australia Occidental», dijo. «El Gobierno Nacional-Liberal ha ampliado la iniciativa de Escuelas Públicas Independientes, con 524 escuelas públicas ahora disfrutando de los beneficios de mayor flexibilidad y autonomía.

When educators go to the polls for the March 11 state election in WA, new schools, funding, education assistants and the Safe Schools program will be front of mind.

Heading in to the election, WA Education Minister Peter Collier has been proudly spruiking the work done by the Liberal-National Government so far.

“The past few years have been a period of unparalleled reform in education in Western Australia,” he said.

“The Liberal-National Government has expanded the Independent Public Schools initiative, with 524 public schools now enjoying the benefits of increased flexibility and autonomy.

“We have also implemented major changes to the Western Australian Certificate of Education, including a new requirement for students to demonstrate a minimum literacy and numeracy standard.”

Collier said WA’s public schools are among the best resourced in the nation, with higher per‑student funding than any other State.

“Spending on education has increased by 70.3 per [cent] since 2008,” he said.

Shadow Minister for Education Sue Ellery however, is quick to remind voters of more recent cuts to education spending, and Labor’s plans to address the cuts.

“In Western Australia parents and educators all know the State Liberal Government has cut over $200 million from schools since 2013,» she said.

“A McGowan Labor Government has a plan to address these cuts, which includes putting teachers, education assistants and Aboriginal Islander education officers back in the classroom.”

In 2013 the Barnett Government cut 406 education assistant positions, which the opposition plans to reverse, announcing 470 new classroom support jobs, including 300 education assistant roles.

“Our Western Australian schools are equipped with dedicated teachers and staff but, more than ever, they are facing complex challenges, like behavioural and mental health issues.

“By placing more support in our classroom, teachers can focus on doing what they do best – educating our children,” Ellery said.

Overcrowding in Perth’s western suburbs schools is an issue both parties plan to tackle.

“The Liberal-National Government has already committed more than $180 million to the western suburbs secondary schooling strategy, which includes the construction of Stage 1 of City Beach College on the former City Beach High School site, as well as expansions to Churchlands Senior High School, Shenton College and Carine Senior High School,” Collier said.

“As part of the overall western suburbs strategy, a re‑elected Liberal-led Government will invest $39 million to expand capacity at Mount Lawley Senior High School and $60 million to redevelop and expand capacity at Balcatta Senior High School.”

But Ellery believes simply upgrading already existing schools is not enough and that there is much more work to be done in these growing suburbs.

“Current building works do not include enough provisions for schools in the rapidly growing corridors of Perth which means schools are turning to staggered assembly times and some primary schools have dozens of transportable classrooms on site,” she said.

“A McGowan Labor Government is committed to improving government planning for new schools in WA and will review the planning methodology that is currently being used by the Department.”

“We will alleviate overcrowding by building a purpose built facility in the new Perth City Link precinct to house the new academic select school and Scitech.

“We will also re-establish on the current Perth Modern School site, on the city side of the western suburbs, a new local intake secondary school, including refurbished facilities to cater for an additional 200 students,” she added.

Labor has also pledged, if elected, to fund the Safe Schools anti-bullying program in any school interested in adopting it.

So far under the Barnett Government, take up of the program has been low, with just 29 out of 1109 schools using the program, The Australian newspaper reported.

Collier has previously called Safe Schools “almost offensive” and said it can alienate LBGQTI students.

Fuente: http://au.educationhq.com/news/38315/education-a-key-battlefront-in-tightly-contested-wa-election/#

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En Australia: Las políticas para abordar denuncias de asalto sexual en las Universidades a menudo son «incompatibles» y «confusas»

Oceanía/Australia/abc.net.au

Una serie de informes mordaces han llamado la atención sobre las  políticas y prácticas inadecuadas para responder a las denuncias de los estudiantes de violación, intento de violación y/o asalto sexual en las universidades australianas.

En un informe de 2017 para la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de Australia , el grupo de defensa, Violación End en el Campus (EROC) Australia, señala el alto número de agresiones sexuales que se producen contra los estudiantes universitarios australianos – tanto dentro como fuera del campus.

A pesar de que actualmente no hay estadísticas fiables sobre las tasas de victimización de la violencia sexual en las universidades australianas, las cifras de la Oficina Australiana de Estadísticas (ABS) en términos más generales informan  que 1 de cada 5 mujeres han experimentado violencia sexual desde la edad de 15, en comparación con el 1 en 22 hombres .

¿Cómo las universidades abordan el tema?

Mucha preocupación se ha expresado acerca de las maneras en que los informes de violencia sexual son procesadas por las universidades australianas.

La respuesta a asalto sexual en el campus no es dar mejores clases de autodefensa, escribe Nina Funnell, es abordar el desarrollo de mejores actitudes sobre el tema.

En un caso notorio en 2015 , James Cook University fue criticado por la promoción de un funcionario que había sido acusado de violar a una estudiante indígena, que luego se mantuvo empleado durante tres meses después de que se había declarado culpable y estaba a la espera de sentencia.

Un portavoz de la universidad al respecto señaló: «En el momento en que asumió el nuevo cargo, a principios de 2016, la universidad no estaba al tanto que había sido acusado de delito».

JCU ya ha encargado una investigación externa e independiente para confirmar la cronología de los eventos y las acciones que se tomaron dentro de la universidad.

En 2016, el programa Noche de Canal 7  informó tasas de asalto sexual y el acoso en las universidades australianas a través de programas para la libertad de información (FOI), que muestran que en los últimos cinco años, ha habido 575 quejas oficiales de asalto sexual y el acoso grabada (145 informa específicamente sobre la violación). Sin embargo, de 575 informes, sólo seis de ellos produjo la expulsión del autor del hecho punible de la universidad.

El manejo inadecuado de estos casos contribuye al subregistro, independientemente de que la violencia ocurre dentro o fuera del campus, motivo por el cual pocos estudiantes reportan formalmente agresiones sexuales

En 2016, la Universidad de Sydney encontró que sólo el 1 por ciento de sus estudiantes que habían sufrido un asalto sexual o indecente  ha informado oficialmente del caso a su universidad.

La encuesta de la Unión Nacional de Estudiantes administrada desde el 2015 informa asimismo que sólo el 6 por ciento de las víctimas reportaron el incidente a sus universidades, y menos del 5 por ciento reportó el incidente a la policía.

Estas cifras no son quizás sorprendente, ya que las víctimas de violación están entre las víctimas del crimen que menos probabilidades tienen de informar a la policía, ya que algunos estudios revelan que entre el 15-20 por ciento de los sobrevivientes terminan haciendo una queja formal a la policía.

Universidades aconsejan sobre ‘cómo no violó’

El informe EROC Australia también señala un abordaje inadecuado por parte del personal de la universidad en el apoyo a sobrevivientes de violencia sexual.

Estos podrían incluir declaraciones acusatorias, cuestionamiento inapropiado sobre los detalles del asalto, la minimización, la culpa, identificando posibles responsabilidades del sobreviviente en el hecho, y extralimitandose en los límites de apoyo emocional.

De acuerdo con uno de los sobrevivientes: «La primera persona resaltó lo mucho que había estado bebiendo preguntó. La segunda persona me dijo que iba a arruinar mi vida. La tercera persona dijo que no era un problema de la universidad. La cuarta persona me dijo que le preguntó por qué había esperado tanto tiempo para decirle a nadie.»

También hay preocupación por los consejos de seguridad de la universidad que «a menudo emplean mitos » peligro de los extraños, se centran en gran medida en el consumo de alcohol, y no abordan de forma colectiva las creencias peligrosas sobre el género».

Por ejemplo, las universidades aconsejan a los estudiantes a «no dar mensajes mixtos» con el contacto visual, la voz, la postura y los gestos. También se recomienda a los estudiantes a caminar en áreas bien iluminadas, llevar a alarmas personales y silbatos «violación» y «estar preparado para gritar y gritar si es atacado».

El problema es que estos mensajes de prevención están dirigidos a las que la víctima y lo que él o ella puede hacer para evitar ser violada, más que el perpetrador.

El peligro de este consejo es que muchos de los supervivientes pueden desistir de la presentación de informes ya que pueden sentir que están en falta, o que lo que pasó con ellos en realidad no cuenta como «violación», sobre todo si el agresor es una persona conocida.

¿Es esta una responsabilidad de la universidad?

Las universidades australianas tienen un mosaico de políticas y prácticas para responder a los informes de violencia sexual.

De acuerdo con EROC Australia :

«Las políticas y procedimientos de las universidades australiana con respecto  asalto sexual y el acoso son a menudo confusas e inconsistente, incompletas, o en algunos casos inexistente.» «Esto significa que es extremadamente difícil para los estudiantes que han sido agredidas sexualmente identificar dónde pueden obtener ayuda en la universidad, que pueden reportar sobre el asalto, y cuáles son los procedimientos para dejar sentado la queja formal».

Las políticas y los procesos de información varían entre las diferentes universidades australianas.

Algunas universidades requieren que todos los informes de violación y asalto sexual son reportados a la policía, que podrían ser directamente contra los deseos de los sobrevivientes. En otros casos, un sobreviviente quiere que el incidente sea reportado a la policía, pero se ha desalentado, ya sea formal o informal para hacerlo. Algunas universidades aconsejan a los sobrevivientes a reunirse de manera informal con el agresor.

Al respecto el líder adjunto de Trabajo dijo que es «desgarrador» que poco ha cambiado desde que estaba en la universidad. En todas las universidades australianas, los sobrevivientes tienen la opción de pasar por un proceso interno que investiga una supuesta violación del código o código de conducta de disciplina de la institución, a menudo a través de invitar al estudiante a presentarse ante un panel a declarar.

Una investigación interna no puede implicar pruebas forenses y un agresor no puede ser privado de su libertad. Sin embargo, un presunto agresor puede ser amonestado, suspendido, expulsado o despedido de la universidad si el panel decide sobre el «balance de probabilidades» de que el acto tuvo lugar. Si se realiza adecuadamente , estos procedimientos internos pueden asegurar la equidad tanto a los supervivientes y de los presuntos autores.

Las universidades también pueden aplicar medidas provisionales para excluir a un presunto agresor del recinto de la universidad en espera del resultado de un proceso formal de quejas.

En general, el informe EROC Australia critica los «resultados inapropiados» y «sanciones leves» que las universidades imponen a los autores de las investigaciones internas.

Los datos revelan que los castigos han participado de diversas maneras: multas, servicio comunitario, cartas de disculpa, o en movimiento al agresor a una sala residencial diferente. En otros casos, el autor recibió una advertencia formal o una «nota en el expediente».

¿Qué pueden hacer mejor las universidades?

Por encima de todo, las universidades tienen que adoptar un enfoque proactivo para la lucha contra la violencia sexual en el campus. Las recomendaciones incluyen:

  • Políticas institucionales claras y coherentes sobre la manera de responder a, e informar sobre las divulgaciones de la violencia sexual, con independencia de que el incidente se produjo en el campus y con independencia de que el autor era un estudiante o miembro del personal de la Universidad. Estas políticas deben ser informados por trauma y sobreviviente-céntrica.
  • Una persona designada (o equipo) con conocimientos especiales sobre la violencia sexual y que se pueden llevar a cabo las investigaciones internas.
  • Formación obligatoria de los consejeros universitarios en respuesta a las revelaciones de asalto sexual; y capacitación para ayudar a los líderes de los estudiantes y el personal de apoyo que se entrega por servicios de expertos cualificados.
  • Circuitos de derivación claras, que incluye el conocimiento de los servicios locales externos y una serie de diferentes opciones para los sobrevivientes.
  • La presentación de datos transparentes y accesibles al público.
  • La eliminación de los tiempos de presentación de informes / alojamiento para los procesos internos de conducta indebida.
  • Mayor comunicación con todas las partes acerca de los procesos y los resultados.
    asesoramiento adecuado y la información a los sobrevivientes a través de un sitio web completo y el trauma-informados.
  • Campañas de prevención primaria que: foco en el consentimiento y relaciones de respeto; dar a conocer la naturaleza, el alcance y la prevalencia de la violencia sexual (tanto dentro como fuera del campus); y promover la intervención de los espectadores proactivo para desafiar los comportamientos y actitudes problemáticas.
  • Apoyo de nuevas investigaciones sobre la violencia sexual.

Estas estrategias contribuirán a disminuir las tasas de delincuencia, brindar mayor información sobre las víctimas y una mayor transparencia para las universidades. EROC Australia también recomienda que se creen normas nacionales para obtener mejores respuestas prácticas a la violencia sexual.

Esto es junto con el establecimiento de un mecanismo de denuncia nacional en el que un individuo puede quejarse a una agencia federal sobre las respuestas inapropiadas a la violación, asalto sexual y el acoso sexual por parte de su universidad.

Si usted o alguien que conoce está afectado por la violación o asalto sexual, llame al 1800 al 1800 RESPECTO 737 732 o visite www.1800RESPECT.org.au . En caso de emergencia, llame al 000.

El Dr. Henry Nicola tiene más de 18 años de experiencia en la investigación sobre la violencia sexual en los dos ámbitos de la justicia penal internacional y nacional, y más ampliamente enseña e investiga temas relacionados con la justicia social.

Fuente: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-01/university-sex-assault-policies-often-inconsistent-confusing/8314964

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Too hot to learn – why Australian schools need a national policy on coping with heatwaves

Oceanía/Australia/Febrero 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com

Many parts of Australia have been experiencing a long-running heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees in some areas. So what impact is this having on schools? And is it time for the government to roll out a national policy on heat protection?

Research shows that extreme heat can result in physical (cardiovascular and thermoregulation), cognitive (acquiring and retaining information) and emotional difficulties (motivation and negative feelings towards set tasks). And let’s not forget ruined school lunches!

Currently, the main policy in place to protect students from outdoor weather extremes is the Cancer Council’s SunSmart program.

The SunSmart program has had a successful foundation policy for school staff and students to ensure enough shade is provided and to wear sun-protective clothing, a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses for all outdoor activities when UV radiation is at level 3 or higher.

But there is no consistent educative policy across Australian schools for heat protection.

Many schools have site-specific or varying state guidelines. There is, however, little school policy relating to school activities during specific heat conditions (according to a set temperature and humidity).

Impact of intense heat

In the US, emergency department admissions revealed that children were the most reported age group to go to hospital with heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stress and heat stroke.

In Japan, between 1975 and 2009, 133 children died of heat stroke while doing outdoor school activities.

School children depend on adults and carers to keep environments at suitable temperatures. There is an ongoing risk of Australian children being exposed to dangerous heat conditions.

Students can often forget to drink enough water, which has an impact on concentration, cognition and memory processes from high sweat loss in extreme heat.

Mandatory requirements for children to do a minimum of 100 minutes of timetabled physical education each week increase the risk of heat exposure.

With fixed times and locations for physical education, this can leave children more vulnerable to heat exposure – especially when this is in addition to recess and leisure time, which are often outdoors.

Students are less active when temperatures are above just 22 degrees, which can impact on meeting physical education objectives and guidelines.

What such a policy would look like

To ensure existing and potential strategies for heat protection could be identified, I conducted a recent review of the various heat-protection implementations, investigations, reports and/or guidelines in schools.

Here I outline five key action areas from the research of what a national school heat policy could look like.

School policy

  • Adopt flexible scheduling of outdoor activities according to the heat conditions by duration/intensity. Start earlier or later in the day when the heat is less intense and ensure children have more rest breaks. The school should have alternative venues to modify and relocate activities during extreme heat when temperatures exceed 30 degrees and humidity levels exceed 60%.
  • Schools should consider modifying uniforms to combine UV protection with cooling fabrics and ice vests to reduce body temperatures and “thermal stresses” during extreme heat.
  • Schools need to be set up to deal with incidences of heat illness and emergencies and to encourage regular rotations to shaded/cooler areas. This includes developing communication procedures (text, internet, email, social media) to notify staff and students of high-risk heat conditions.

Environment

  • Ensure extra shade from both man-made structures (tents, sails and umbrellas) and natural features such as trees to provide cooler environments for outdoor activities during extreme heat.
  • Use large industrial fans and ensure indoor spaces have open doors/windows or air-conditioning access during activities, especially during rest periods.
  • Provide more water fountains, cooled water facilities and electrolytes for fluid retention and regularly monitor outdoor weather conditions. Ice and water spray bottles could also be used as cooling aids.
  • Display heat guidelines and charts in prominent locations in the school for reminders about hydration and feelings according to the temperature.

Training

  • Develop personal skills so staff and students know how and where to access heat protective strategies in the school. This includes maintaining adequate nutrition, keeping food safe (at lower temperatures to prevent being spoiled), gaining adequate sleep and monitoring hydration practices and fluid loss.
  • Develop communication methods within schools relating to heat illness and where to access support or facilities through a developed heat-protective resource map and guide. Train staff how to detect heat illness in others and to treat, mentor, role-model and protect others.

Prevention

  • Teachers to take into account medical characteristics of students, age, fitness and level of acclimatisation when undertaking activities in hot conditions. Regularly monitor any students or staff who appear distressed from the heat.
  • Implement heat-protective policy according to relevant Australian Curriculum content of “being healthy safe and active”, demonstrate heat-protective behaviours for safety, and identify actions, plan and promote heat strategies to develop health, safety and wellbeing.

Community

  • Notify parents about school heat conditions and ask them to provide their children with cooled water and modified uniforms during heatwaves. Also give parents an insight into the school procedures in place to protect the students from the heat.
  • Include information on the school’s heat-protective procedures in school newsletters. Parents can use this beyond the classroom. Schools should gain feedback from the community on strategies and ideas for further protection of staff and students during heatwaves.
    • Put on events to help raise funds for heat-protective facilities in schools. Include parents to have different heat-protective roles and responsibilities during outdoor school events.

 

Fuente:

https://theconversation.com/

Fuente imagen:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/L6ZJwgpPbXwoIZkeT-89g21pGXu49K8p329kZjV_Cce5F2n9CjExGQ-3tvCpajdYHCymNw=s85

 

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International students studying in Australia reach record number, Education Department figures show

Australia/Febrero de 2017/Fuente: ABC.net

RESUMEN: El número de estudiantes internacionales en Australia alcanzó un récord el año pasado con más de medio millón de estudiantes eligiendo estudiar aqui. Cifras del Departamento de Educación federal muestran que en 2016 hubo 554.179 estudiantes internacionales pagando la tarifa completa, un aumento de más del 10 por ciento con respecto al año anterior. El sector de educación superior tuvo la mayor proporción de estudiantes internacionales de Australia, con un 43%. De ellos, el mayor número procedía de China y la India. El sector de la educación profesional representó el 26 por ciento de la matrícula internacional de estudiantes con cursos intensivos de inglés que atrajeron el 21 por ciento.

The number of international students in Australia hit a record high last year with more than half a million choosing to study here.

Figures from the federal Education Department show there were 554,179 full-fee paying international students in 2016, an increase of more than 10 per cent on the previous year.

The higher education sector had the largest share of Australia’s international students, with 43 per cent.

Of those the largest numbers came from China and India.

The vocational education sector accounted for 26 per cent of international student enrolments with English Language Intensive Courses attracting 21 per cent.

The schools sector only attracted 3 per cent of the total figure.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the numbers showed the importance of attracting overseas students.

«International education is now our third largest export sector generating more than $21 billion of economic activity in Australia, supporting many jobs and providing benefits to both Australian and international students,» he said.

«There are real upsides in terms of the jobs that are created, the opportunities for Australian students to study alongside international students and to gain exposure to people from more than 200 different countries who are now studying in Australia.»

As well as the data on enrolments, the Government has released the results of last year’s International Student Survey.

The survey found 89 per cent of students were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience in Australia.

Fuente: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-22/record-number-of-international-students-in-australia-in-2016/8291284

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El Gobierno australiano prohíbe la ideología de género en las escuelas de Nueva Gales del Sur

Australia/16 febrero 2017/Fuente: Actuall

En la guía de ideología de género destinada a alumnos de 10 años se ponía de ejemplo historias como la de José, un hombre casado que tenía tres hijos y que confesaba «masturbarse pensando en varones».

Se acabó la imposición de la ideología de género en las escuelas públicas de Nueva Gales del Sur, en Australia. Los profesores no podrán impartir su contenido después de que el gobierno encargase un estudio de los contenidos a un órgano independiente. De esta forma a los alumnos no se les volverá a enseñar aquello de que “el género es una construcción social”.

Asimismo, es probable que se rechace tanto el decreto que regulaba la forma de hablar de los profesores como los estudios destinados a mostrar el sexo casi de forma explícita a los alumnos e ideas del tipo “hay infinitas posibilidades” de identidades de género.

El programa estatal obligatorio de educación sexual destinado a los alumnos de 11 y 12 años y en el que se incluían postulados de la ideología de género fue finalmente puesto en entredicho por el propio consejero de Educación de Nueva Gales del Sur, Adrian Piccoli, que encargó una revisión de los contenidos. Tras la misma se elaboró una actualización en la que se instaba a no usar determinados recursos.

En esta lista aparece una recopilación de 17 páginas de una guía para los profesores en cuyo contenido se aleccionaba sobre diversidad sexual a niños de 10 años. En los mismos destacaba la historia de José, un hombre casado que tenía tres hijos y que confesaba masturbarse pensando en varones.

Tampoco parece muy educativo el ejemplo de Alex, que mantenía relaciones sexuales con chicas, una de ellas adolescente, para más tarde tener relaciones con un hombre desde su traslado a un pueblo.

De momento el Gobierno no ha querido hacer declaraciones sobre el asunto. Tampoco está claro si el nuevo ministro de Educación australiano, Rob Stokes, respaldará estas recomendaciones sobre la revisión de los contenidos en ideología de género en los colegios públicos.

Fuente:http://www.actuall.com/familia/el-gobierno-australiano-prohibe-la-ideologia-de-genero-en-las-escuelas-de-nueva-gales-del-sur/

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Australia: Catholic education system under a cloud after child sex abuse commission findings

Australia/Febrero de 2017/Fuente: The Sydney Morning Herald

RESUMEN: Mark Fabbro recuerda más vivamente el callistoon floreciente y el cielo azul fuera de la ventana de la pequeña habitación escondida detrás de la oficina del sacerdote. Todo lo demás – el látigo, la sensación de que su piel desnuda se presiona en el sofá de cuero, el sacerdote murmurando en latín detrás de él – vuelve en instantáneas fracturadas, imágenes que se levantan sin necesidad de los profundos pozos de la memoria de la infancia. «Ese fue un escape mental para mí, por la ventana y en la naturaleza», dice Fabbro. «Aparentemente me enviaron de nuevo, pero no puedo recordar lo que pasó [la segunda vez]. Es como si mi mente se apagara mientras cruzaba el patio de recreo». Fabbro tenía sólo 11 años cuando fue violado por el sacerdote jesuita John Byrne en el prestigioso Xavier College de Melbourne. Las estadísticas de esta semana son espantosas «, admitió uno de los directores de la escuela católica. Pensar que podría haber continuado y luego haber vuelto a repetir. Creo que en el futuro habrá un modelo de gobierno en las escuelas católicas que es muy diferente del actual «. Funcionarios católicos que hablaron esta semana con Fairfax Media insisten en que sus escuelas se ejecutan de manera muy diferente ahora. Las autoridades federales y estatales han reforzado los requisitos de inscripción escolar, incluyendo estándares más estrictos de protección infantil, que las escuelas religiosas e independientes deben cumplir. Y los padres todavía hacen cola para inscribir a los niños en las escuelas administradas por la iglesia.

Mark Fabbro remembers most vividly the flowering callistemon and blue sky outside the window of the small room tucked behind the priest’s office.

Everything else – the whip, the feel of his bare skin being pressed into the leather couch, the priest mumbling in Latin behind him – comes back in fractured snapshots, images rising unbidden from the deep wells of childhood memory.

«That was a mental escape for me, out the window and into nature,» Mr Fabbro says. «Apparently I was sent there again but I can’t remember what happened [the second time]. It’s like my mind shut down as I crossed the playground.»

Mr Fabbro was just 11 when he was raped by Jesuit priest John Byrne at the prestigious Xavier College in Melbourne.

«The church has proven it is unable to govern itself or in the interests of children over many decades,» the survivor’s advocate says.

«It has concealed the crimes. It’s time the civil authorities step in and ensure an appropriate degree of governance.»

Leonie Sheedy, co-founder of support group Care Leavers Australia Network, argues Catholic schools should get «no more taxpayer dollars» until there is greater accountability. Federal funding is generous: $5.5 billion to the Catholic sector in 2014, topping up state and parent contributions.

She is not alone. Many victims are demanding a comprehensive external review of the sprawling maze that constitutes Australia’s Catholic education system. The case for fundamental change gained powerful traction this week when senior counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Gail Furness, SC, laid bare the breathtaking scale of it: nearly 4500 alleged victims within more than 1000 separate Catholic institutions who made complaints between 1980 and February 2015, and close to 2000 alleged perpetrators

Most staggering were the proportions of abusers within some of the semi-autonomous Catholic religious orders (spiritual communities, often with roots in the church’s European ancestry).

These organisations had tentacles deep into the Catholic school system, with some of the worst abuse reported in the schools they ran. They included the Order of St John of God, where the proportion of alleged perpetrators was estimated at 40.4 per cent; the Christian Brothers (22 per cent) and the Marist brothers (20.4 per cent).

«The statistics this week are appalling,» one Catholic school principal admitted. «To think it could have gone on, and then gone on again, and again. I think in the future there will be a governance model in Catholic schools that is very different from today’s.»

Catholic officials who spoke to Fairfax Media this week insist their schools are run very differently now. Federal and state government authorities have tightened school registration requirements, including tougher child protection standards, which religious-based and independent schools must comply with. And parents are still queuing up to enrol kids in church-run schools.

Yet even a cursory examination of how the Catholic education system is structured in Australia reveals a dizzying complexity within each state which obscures lines of accountability. And there remain striking differences between states.

In New South Wales, for instance, there are 592 Catholic schools with a combined quarter of million students. Of these, 548 are diocesan or «systemic» schools under the administration of no less than 11 individual dioceses reporting to 11 different bishops.

The remaining 44 Catholic schools in the state are run either by the independent Catholic orders, or by associated entities with the obscure church title of «public juridic person».

Acting executive director of the Catholic Education Commission NSW, Ian Baker, insists child protection is now triply safeguarded by mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse backed by strict oversight through an array of state bodies, including the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Ombudsman.

«Working with children» checks are under way on all the state’s teachers, and on clergy who take up pastoral care in schools, he says.

«There are multiple agencies with multiple lenses on this matter,» says Mr Baker. «We are not denying any of the history. But the question is, can we be confident that within all schools in NSW – Catholic or otherwise – child protection is now transparently and independently oversighted? Our answer is yes.»

Yet in Victoria, unlike NSW, priests still have a lot of power in individual parishes and play a significant role in running all but a handful of the state’s 400 Catholic primary schools. Priests are charged with employing the principal, overseeing school finances and are central to setting up the governing board.

About half of Victoria’s approximately 100 secondary schools are owned by 21 different religious orders – each have varying governance structures. The other half, the systemic schools, fall under the four Victorian dioceses to which they belong.

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria – which distributes taxpayers’ money to the state’s 492 Catholic schools – refused requests for an interview, spokesman Christian Kerr saying it was «inappropriate» to comment before officials appeared before the royal commission next week.

Catholic Religious Victoria, which represents the various congregations that run schools, said parents could be confident all schools complied with statutory requirements and were committed to child safety.

«We want to make sure that this kind of terrible thing could never happen again,» said its president, Sister Veronica Hoey.

«I’m reassured that our schools are compliant with all processes, procedures and policies.»

Yet asked about the reporting mechanisms in place for the religious order-run schools, one experienced principal replied: «It’s as clear as mud. Who would know?»

Another Catholic education official admits it’s taken him years to understand the system.

The welter of bodies with a finger in the Catholic education pie include the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, which last year set up a new entity called Catholic Professional Standards Limited and the National Catholic Education Commission, an advocacy group. The Catholic orders have their own umbrella group, Catholic Religious Australia.

Yet there is, as one seasoned church observer puts it, «no CEO of the Catholic church in Australia, there is no boss. There is nobody who runs it. Each bishop or archbishop in each diocese – whether in the cities or outback Australia – answer only to the Holy See in Rome.»

Former principal of St Joseph’s College in Geelong, Paul Tobias, has told the the royal commission the church is persisting with «antiquated» governance models. He believes there remains too much power among the few people at the top with not enough input from non-clerics and women.

Some of the orders named and shamed before the royal commission this week (such as St John of God) no longer run schools in Australia. Others are putting a greater emphasis on lay administration.

These include Edmund Rice Education Australia (named after the early 19 century founder of the Christian Brothers order) which 10 years ago took over the running of all Christian Brothers schools in the country.

EREA’s executive director Wayne Tinsey insists that «the congregation of the Christian Brothers have nothing to do with the day to day management, governance or leaderships of the schools, which they previously owned but are now owned by us».

Even so, the order’s Rome-based Congregation Leader appoints the council of trustees, who then appoint a board of management to run the organisation’s 50 schools.

Dr Tinsey admits shock at the figures coming out of the royal commission this week. «It is an uncomfortable time to be a Catholic,» he says.

«It’s part of a destructive and shameful reality in our national history and we are totally committed to it never ever happening again.»

Yet he maintains organisations such as his should be able to keep their autonomy within the church and the school system, to keep faith with the order’s original mission, or «charism», in church parlance.

Chris MacIsaac, from victims support group Broken Rites, said a problem for many clergy abuse victims was that the hierarchy of their former schools did not acknowledge or address the scourge of abuse when they came forward.

Melbourne lawyer Vivian Waller says while many abuse victims do not trust Catholic institutions to look after children, banning a religious denomination from teaching «feels like a dangerous course».

Dr Waller, who has represented hundreds of victims of abuse at the hands of clergy, says church-run schools need to «walk the walk and what the community want to see is that they have put processes in place for protecting children and reporting to police».

But not all parts of the church are yet «walking the walk». Even the royal commission is having trouble extracting documents from the Holy See, Ms Furness revealed this week. The task ahead, she flagged, would be to identify the «structural, governance and cultural» factors that must change inside the church to ensure its dark past never returns.

Fuente: http://www.smh.com.au/national/catholic-education-system-under-a-cloud-after-child-sex-abuse-commission-findings-20170210-gua1pv.html

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Australia: Back to school – understanding challenges faced by Indigenous childre

Oceanía/Australia/Febrero 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

Chances are that many a tear has been shed throughout Australia in recent weeks with the start of the school year. But enough about the parents, let’s talk about the kids!

As with other students, many Indigenous kids will be excited about school, while others will be feeling nervous as they come to grips with new teachers, peers, and environments.

For Indigenous children, there are some added and unique challenges and opportunities.

In 2017, it is likely that more Indigenous children than ever will be commencing school for the very first time. The Indigenous population is young and growing fast.

In 2011, the percentage of Indigenous people under the age of five years was double the percentage for the rest of the population.

Not only is the Indigenous population younger, but statistics are showing signs of improved Indigenous enrolment in early childhood education in the past decade.

In 2001, 46% of Indigenous four-year-olds attended preschool. And in 2013, approximately 75% of Indigenous four-year-olds were enrolled in early childhood education.

Increased participation is encouraging – getting off to a positive start is important when it comes to lifelong learning. Research shows that preschool and childcare participation are positively associated with reading and literacy, as well as maths and abstract reasoning over the long term.

The challenge of providing positive starts to learning is not confined to remote communities alone.

In fact, enrolment data of Indigenous children in early childhood education programs show higher rates in remote areas than in major cities and regional areas.

The reasons for lower rates of participation in urban areas can be due to a combination of generic factors (such as cost and transport) and cultural factors (namely, Indigenous parents’ concern about the cultural identity of their children being supported and valued).

If Australia wants to close the gap in education, then we cannot afford to look at schooling in a vacuum to other socioeconomic factors.

According to the Australian Early Development Census, Indigenous children in 2015 were twice as likely to be developmentally vulnerable on two or more of the AEDC developmental domains (physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge).

Embedding Indigenous culture into subjects

The growth in the number of Indigenous children entering school has implications for schools and governments alike.

Principals and teachers will need to work hand-in-glove with Indigenous families to ensure school is a culturally safe environment for their children. This means that Indigenous heritage is respected and promoted.

If school environments get this right early, then the downstream effects can be very positive, as shown by a young Koori woman scoring 98.3% in the 2016 New South Wales Higher School Certificate.

One way teachers can respect culture is by embedding it into “mainstream” subjects.

Take for example, a school in the Top End which is using kinship systems to teach maths. By building on the children’s understanding of kinship relationships, Yolngu teachers help children see the link between particular patterns in kinship names across generations, then associate them with number patterns in conventional maths. By working from what they know, children are actively building a bridge to western concepts and finding grounds of commonality.

Getting to know each child

If we want to grow more success stories in Indigenous education, teachers will need first to establish positive relationships, not only with children but with their families and the wider Indigenous community’s people and culture.

While school policies are important, relationships are the real keys to success.

For teachers, the message is simple – get to really know your kids, their families, their community and its history, and what’s going on at home.

Have a cuppa with Elders. Share a joke with the kids, kick a footy, ask how their weekend was, find time for the children to share their stories, be it through play, art, sport, writing, or show and tell.

You might be testing children, but they’ll be testing you too. They will be looking to see if you’re friendly, trustworthy, caring. If you pass their test, then there is a stronger chance they will pass yours.

Culture is a large part of an Indigenous child’s story, but it is not the only part.

Many (not all) Indigenous children are under stress (educationally, socially, emotionally) due to low income, family mobility, overcrowded homes, and poor health and disability.

Last year I co-authored a paper about Indigenous education that we called “Creating expectations that are really high and highly real.”

The point of our paper is that Indigenous success in education requires simultaneous and coordinated action inside the school gates and outside of them – all aimed at promoting Indigenous child wellbeing.

Social stressors often make the educational climb far steeper and longer for Indigenous children.

Cost of education

Schooling affordability remains as a big issue for many families – Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.

The notion of “free education” is fast disappearing into Australian mythology.

As a mother in Queensland recently showed via her Facebook post (which went viral), the cost of schooling is a concern for many low-income families. Her message will have struck a chord with many Indigenous families who find books and a pencil case with pencils in it hard enough to buy, let alone a computer case with a computer in it, and having access to Wi-Fi.

Targeted funding

At a systems level, we have got to get the education dollar to where it is most needed; and nowhere is it more needed than in Indigenous education.

About eight in ten Indigenous students attended public schools in 2010, so adequate resourcing for public schools in low socioeconomic areas (where many Indigenous people reside) is imperative.

Schools in low socioeconomic status areas are not only faced with the challenge of providing quality teaching, but often they will need resources to meet the needs of the “whole child”, including their psychology, nutrition, speech, career prospects, and cultural identity.

The Murri School in Queensland is showing the way by providing wrap-around services for children.

The school works with Aboriginal health services and the University of Queensland, among other organisations, to provide holistic support services to children such as in the areas of family support, psychology, ear, nose and throat services, occupational and speech therapy.

They are also supporting children who have shown signs of inter-generational trauma, through tailored healing programs.

Bolstering Indigenous success in education is a shared responsibility: students, families, schools, communities, and governments alike. To paraphrase the poet John Donne,

“No child is an island, entire of herself; every child is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… I am involved in education, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.”

If we can get the three R’s (relationships, responsibilities, and resourcing) right, then in future years, we can get children off to a positive start at school and shed a tear for the right reasons.

Fuente:

https://theconversation.com/back-to-school-understanding-challenges-faced-by-indigenous-children-71886

Fuente imagen:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pLF12P_V2o_ekNvLoAfsMUbLJDyZt-J4FJYBpbnvHl-mEZMeEGv7CyvbIOTz7dwtzp_TdQ=s85

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