ONLY 23 per cent of Queensland’s low-income Catholic families are sending their children to Catholic schools – less than half the rate of high-income families – and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) wants to find out why.
QCEC executive director Mike Byrne said a research project was being carried out to investigate issues affecting the decisions of Catholic families in this regard.
“This research goes right to the heart of the mission of Catholic education to reach out to those who are disadvantaged or marginalised in any way,” he said.
“Catholic schools are called to serve all those who seek their values regardless of socio-economic circumstances.”
The information which sparked the inquiry came out of the 2006 ABS Census.
It showed that 52 per cent of higher-income Catholic families (earning more than $130,000 per annum) enrolled their children in Catholic schools while 36 per cent of middle-income Catholic families (earning $34,000-$130,000 per annum) sent their children to Catholic schools.
The initiative has been strongly supported by many organisations and commentators interested in access to Catholic education in Queensland.
Federation of Parents and Friends Associations of Catholic Schools in Queensland executive officer Paul Dickie said he hoped the QCEC research would ensure that “the most appropriate support measures can be offered by school authorities and that all families, regardless of socio-economic circumstances feel welcome”.
Marist College Ashgrove principal Peter McLoughlin said pride was often an obstacle to low-income parents sending their children to Catholic schools and that he hoped the research might find ways around this.
However, Dr Michael Furtado, a former Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) staff member, former teacher and frequent commentator on access of the disadvantaged to Catholic schools believes many factors “including the structure of Catholic education itself” would need to change before meaningful change could result from such research.
