RELIGIOUS education rates lowly among parents’ reasons for sending their children to Catholic schools, according to a survey commissioned by the Toowoomba Catholic Education Board.
The survey revealed a startling difference between what parents are thinking and what, historically, Catholic schools believe motivates parents to enrol children in Catholic schools.
It collated the preferences of parents from Catholic (4844 parents), state (659) and independent schools (1357) – both primary and secondary – in Toowoomba and through south-west Queensland.
It found that criteria recorded as ‘absolutely essential’ for education sectors included quality teaching, care of students, school discipline, parent involvement, moral development and school philosophy.
Religion – religious education or faith tradition – did not rate as one of the key critical attributes.
Executive director of Edmund Rice Education, Dr Bill Sultmann, said the survey revealed a diverse range of parental understanding of Catholic education which was exemplified at the recent opening of Mary MacKillop Catholic School at Highfields, near Toowoomba.
‘One parent phoned the school and asked to speak to Mary,’ he said.
‘The surprised school secretary responded that Mary wasn’t there but ‘she’s up for beatification’.
‘The response from the parent was to tell Mary to call her back because she wanted to talk to her about enrolment.’
Dr Sultmann said a significant point learned from the survey was the limited importance of formal religion as a factor of differentiation when parents made their enrolment decisions.
The research showed Catholic school authorities needed to be clear about what their schools offered in terms of Church mission and an education related to that.
He contrasted the limited understanding of some parents with an immediate and unequivocal comment from another parent as to why Catholic schools might be a good choice.
‘The mother said she believed in heroes motivating people,’ Dr Sultmann said.
‘She said that Jesus was one of her heroes and that she wanted her girls to have some exposure to His story.’
