NCEC executive director Jacinta Collins presented an Australian perspective on confronting the challenges of education today, at the Congress celebrating the 150th anniversary of the contribution of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to education (1872-2022) in Rome last month.

Speaking virtually from Sydney, Jacinta (pictured) told the conference how education for the common good lay at the heart of Catholic education, a vision shared by the United Nations and echoed in the 2019 Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration for Australian schools.

“In its 2019 pastoral letter, 200 Years Young, the Australian Catholic Bishops noted the contribution of Catholic schools to the common good,” Jacinta said.

“But, it’s not enough to hold a vision for education that contributes to the common good, we need to measure our success in this endeavour. 

“There is a growing body of research to suggest religious beliefs and practices such as prayer, meditation, religious-moral teaching and practice, can be associated with greater mental health and wellbeing, reduced depression and anxiety, decreased substance use, and increased social support.”

Jacinta said that while the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (2021) census highlighted a decrease in Australians identifying as “Christian”, NCEC’s own survey ahead of the last federal election showed the majority of Australians continue to support faith-based schools.

“There is a tension that exists between faith formation and contributing to the common good that is reflected in the diversity of those we enrol, and their connection to faith, parish life and active worship,” she said.

“For Catholic schools, our schools are one of our strongest opportunities to evangelise and continue to be fertile ground to enrich faith formation and religious education.”

Jacinta said a pressing concern for all Australian schools, not just Catholic schools, is how we will reverse a 20-year decline in student performance as measured by the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other local assessment measures which show an absolute and relative decline in performance.

Jacinta also acknowledged the work of teachers and leaders in Australian education. “Without a quality teaching profession, our educational aims cannot be achieved,” she said.