Tomorrow marks the 140th anniversary of the University Tests Act, which banned English Universities from discriminating along religious lines in who they admit to study and as fellows. Prior to the act, University College London (UCL) was the only English University to admit students regardless of their religion.
To mark the anniversary, UCL and the Accord Coalition (of which the British Humanist Association is a founding member) tonight held a debate ‘Religion in education: towards division or inspiration?’ The event featured BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson and Accord Chair Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, as well as former Secretary of State for Education and Skills Charles Clarke and former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. The evening was chaired by UCL Political Science lecturer Dr Sherrill Stroschein.
The event focussed on the ongoing debate over the role of religious organisations in schools, and whether it remains appropriate, so long after ‘faith’ Universities were banned, for ‘faith’ schools to continue to be able to discriminate in admissions, employment, governance and teaching.
Mr Copson argued that state-funded ‘faith’ schools should be replaced with secular, inclusive schools. Arguing in favour of children’s rights, Mr Copson said that ‘children are not the property of their parents but human beings in the process of growing into autonomous adults; they have rights of their own – to receive and impart information and knowledge of all kinds and have the opportunity to make their own minds up; the arguments made by some, including MCB, would deprive children of this entitlement.’
Mr Copson also argued that equality and secularism are principles to work towards, saying that ‘the state should not discriminate against its citizens in the way it affords them access to services including state education.’
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For further comment or information, please contact Andrew Copson, 020 7079 3583.
Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on religion and schools.
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.