There's been a good deal of discussion around the purpose of education in the past week with the announcement of university reforms designed to respond to Australia's employment demands in a post-COVID context.

It's understandable, given the centuries-old pragmatic approach to education around the world, that a core purpose of schooling and tertiary education is the preparation of young people to enter the workforce and become productive members of society.

We know that education is much more than that, and lies at the heart of our social and cultural understanding of ourselves, of others in our communities, and the world. 

For Catholic education, this purpose runs even deeper to the formation and development of the whole person, and their understanding of, and relationship to, God and Jesus Christ.

As the Congregation of Catholic Education reminds us in The Catholic school on the threshold of the third millenium, "the person of each individual human being, in his or her material and spiritual needs, is at the heart of Christ's teaching: this is why the promotion of the human person is the goal of the Catholic school".

For Catholic schools, the education of young people starts with the formation of a human person that can discern truth, justice and the path of love and hope in a world that is facing enormous challenges politically, societally, environmentally and morally.

This requires the development of knowledge and skills which will enable our young people to make a meaningful contribution to their communities. It also relies on an education that fosters within our students an active faith experience that engages them in a lifelong commitment to Christ's mission, "that all may have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10).

As we head towards the celebration of 200 years of Catholic education in Australia, commencing later in the year, it will be timely to reflect on the contribution our schools and educational institutions have made to this mission over two centuries.

It will also provide a valuable opportunity to look to the future and how we can continue to strengthen and enrich our work to form young people of faith and conscience, while we also prepare them to face the challenges ahead. 

Jacinta Collins
National Catholic Education executive director

Our Lady of the Nativity Lawson Photo: Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta

The New South Wales Government has responded to the recommendations of the NSW Curriculum Review led by Professor Geoff Masters, and has outlined an ambitious program for streamlining and strengthening what is taught in the state's schools over the next four years.

The reforms in the NSW Government Response include:

• building strong foundations for future learning by 2022 with new English and Mathematics syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 2
• more time for teaching by 2022 by reducing the hours teachers spend on extra-curricular topics and compliance requirements
• strengthening post school pathways by 2022 with new learning areas for Years 11 and 12 that clearly link learning to future employment and study options
• a new curriculum from 2024 with new syllabuses focused on what is essential to know and do in early and middle years of schooling, and key learning areas in the senior years

The government accepted the recommendations in the report which found there is too much clutter in most syllabuses.

Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said the new curriculum will give teachers and students more time to focus on the key learning areas necessary for a deeper understanding of core concepts.

"The new curriculum will also ensure every student develops strong foundations for learning, life and work," she said. 

"The NSW Government is setting an ambitious timeline for reform. A new English and Mathematics curriculum for Kindergarten – Year 2 students will be introduced by 2022. By 2024, the new curriculum will be available across all years.

"The NSW Government wants to ensure that both VET and academic subjects are recognised as equally valuable. By 2022, new learning areas will be developed for Years 11 and 12 to clearly link school-based subjects to employment and study options," Ms Mitchell said.

"We will work with industry and post-school providers to ensure students have even better connections for their future."

The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), comprised of the leaders of all NSW government and non-government education systems, will oversee the rewriting of the curriculum.

Catholic schools response

CSNSW chief executive officer Dallas McInerney welcomed the review and the state government's response saying the recommendations represent "a significant and ambitious policy platform to better the future of students".

"We are pleased to see the government’s commitment to a timetable to implement these important recommendations," Dallas said.

"CSNSW shares the vision of the NSW Government. We want NSW to be the best place in the world to be a school student, and the government’s commitment to the recommendations is a critical step on this path. 

Dallas said CSNSW supports the government’s ambitious timeline, and looks forward to working closely on the implementation.

"The challenge now is to see through the implementation of these recommendations."  

Download the NSW Government Response

The Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) says boarding schools are looking forward to welcoming back more students in Term 3 following the recent release of new health guidelines for boarding facilities.

QCEC Executive Director Dr Lee-Anne Perry said the new guidelines from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) would allow boarding schools to finalise their plans for Term 3.

“QCEC has been calling for these updated guidelines for many weeks now and we are pleased to see them finally released,” Dr Perry said.

More than 1,000 students enrolled at Queensland Catholic boarding schools are still learning at home because of the limitations of the previous guidelines.

Dr Perry said the new guidelines removed the recommendation for boarding house dormitories to operate at 25 per cent capacity and instead focused on schools managing the risks of students sharing living quarters.

“We believe this is where the focus should now be, given the very low virus case numbers,” she said.

“Boarding schools have been developing their plans for safely accommodating all students and managing any outbreak of the virus within the school community.

“Our schools have been well supported by Queensland health authorities during the pandemic and schools will maintain this supportive and collaborative relationship into the future."

Lee-Anne said she wanted to see all students receiving the benefits of classroom learning as soon as possible.

“Our boarding families have done a wonderful job keeping students engaged with their learning with the support of their schools.

“Soon we hope to see these students back in their school facilities, enjoying the company of their friends, the direct interaction with their teachers and resuming their learning routines.”

Source: QCEC website

The Association of Ministerial Public Juridic Persons (AMPJP) has announced the membership of a new national committee representing Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person school authorities.

The members are:

• Philomena Billington, educationalist member and interim chair
• Sr Catherine Slattery SGS, educationalist member and National Catholic Education Commission nominee
• Emeritus Prof Marea Nicholson AM, educationalist member
• Jeffrey Burn (Kildare Ministries) from Victoria/Tasmania
• Dr Frank Malloy (Marist Schools Australia) from NSW/ACT
• Dale Morrow (Mercy Partners) from QLD
• Sr Brigette Sipa RSJ (Josephite Sisters) from SA/NT/WA
• Br Peter Ryan FSC (De La Salle Brothers) from SA/NT/WA
• Lawrie Hallinan (AMPJP) ex-officio interim secretary

The role of the committee is to:

• focus on the mission of Catholic Education
• promote the unique contribution of Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person education
• strengthen, and engage collaboratively with the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) and state Catholic education structures/processes
• facilitate Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person School Authority communication and collaboration

Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person school authorities educate around 149,000 young people, or 17 per cent of all Catholic school enrolments, including in rural and metropolitan schools, boarding schools, flexible learning centres for disadvantaged students, scholarships for Indigenous and other students, and multi-modal experiences.

In a media release, interim chair Philomena Billington (pictured) said, "Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person schools have a rich heritage of spiritual charisms, innovation, educational pedagogy and social justice and continue to contribute to the mission of Catholic education across Australia in partnership with all schools".

The two assemblies for the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia will be held in Adelaide from October 3-10, 2021, and in Sydney from July 4-9, 2022.

The new dates mean that the celebration of the Plenary Council has effectively moved 12 months from the original plan of a first assembly in October 2020 and a second assembly in June/July 2021.

Plenary Council president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB said the confirmation of the specific dates will help in the formulation of a revised program of preparation for Council delegates, who were announced in March, and for the whole Catholic community.

“The one-year change to our initial timeline affords each of us the opportunity for a more extended period of individual and collective discernment leading into the first assembly than we would otherwise have had.”

Archbishop Costelloe said prayer, dialogue and discernment have been foundational pillars of the Plenary Council journey and will continue to be so.

“I encourage everyone to read the discernment papers and to take some time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to continue to guide our path toward the assemblies and beyond,” he said.

Read more via the ACBC website

Photo from ACBC 

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) has created a Teacher Resource Hub containing over 160 curated online resources to support teachers during the current challenging times. The collection includes newly created resources such as insights from expert educators on key topics including student wellbeing, assessment, student engagement, support for vulnerable students and more.

Learn more

AITSL has also created a dedicated Facebook group as a platform for teachers and school leaders to ask questions, share what works (and what doesn’t) and provide support to each other. The group currently has over 3,400 members and is growing.

Join the community

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has launched its Tax Time 2020 campaign to help teachers and education professionals understand how to best prepare and lodge their tax returns.

The ATO has also introduced a simplified method for claiming deductions for anyone working from home as a result of COVID-19. Between 1 March and 30 June 2020, taxpayers will be able to claim 80 cents per work hour for all their additional running expenses, rather than needing to calculate costs for specific running expenses. 

This new method is designed to make tax returns simpler for anybody who has recently transitioned to working from home due to COVID-19, and ensures they are able to easily claim their relevant deductions.

For more information see the quick guides below:

Online lecture on the challenge of intercultural liturgy

The Australian Catholic University Centre for Liturgy will host the President of the Catholic Theological Union, Rev Prof Mark R. Francis CSV in a free online public lecture broadcast live from Chicago, USA on Monday 20 July, titled, “The Challenge of Intercultural Liturgy in the Era of Pope Francis”. Registration by 15 July 2020 is essential. Register here or download the flyer for more information. 

In July, Prof Francis will also teach a free online, one-time-only special studies unit in Liturgical Inculturation through the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy in collaboration with the ACU Centre for Liturgy on 6, 7, 9, 10 July. The unit is offered at postgraduate level for students enrolled in Masters or Graduate Certificate programs in theology and religious education. Professor Francis’ live lectures will also be available as a Professional Learning Seminar for liturgists, clergy, pastoral associates, Catholic school teachers, and all who have an interest in liturgical inculturation. Professional learners will participate in lectures and discussions but will not undertake assessment tasks. Teachers who participate can apply for professional development hours at the Proficient level in most states and territories, making this professional learning seminar one of the most widely-accredited ACU offerings. Download the flyer for more information. 

Catholic schools and catechetical programs...are not finally about teaching young people to work hard, contribute to society, and be honest and kind to others. Clearly those virtues are important. But they aren’t ends in themselves. They flow from the larger mission of our schools and programs. The goal of all Catholic education is to form young people in a strong Catholic faith, a faith rooted in the truth about God and humanity, a faith that can guide them to a fruitful life in this world, and home to the joy of eternal life with their Creator.

Catholic education starts with a simple principle: Facts and achievements are empty, or worse, unless they’re embedded in a pattern of meaning. The deepest hunger of the human heart isn’t for knowledge but for purpose. This is why Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John (8:32) have always had such power: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Truth organises reality. It gives meaning and direction to life, and in doing so, it sustains hope...This enduring passion for truth is the fire at the heart of all Catholic education... – Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput of Philadelphia