Earlier this year, a figure leapt out at us: 4 in 10 students who attend Catholic high schools in fact, aren’t Catholic. And it got us thinking – the place where we learn to get along is the classroom.
How do parents of different faiths, and no faith, decide which school to send their children to? And how do schools across the board, treat religious diversity in their classrooms?
Today, we’re out of the studio and in Parramatta, Western Sydney. It's one of the most culturally diverse places in Australia – and even the world.
Guests:
Valsan Ajit, senior student at Patrician Brothers' College, a Catholic school in Blacktown. Valsan is of Hindu background.
Sheila Ngoc Pham is a writer of Vietnamese heritage from south-west Sydney. Sheila chose to send her daughter to the local public school where most her classmates are of Islamic background. You can read about her experience at the ABC Religion and Ethics website.
Dr Sharlotte Tusasiirwe is an internationally recognised scholar in social work and multiculturalism. She's at Western Sydney University. Sharlotte is of Ugandan background.
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With special thanks this week to Nick Baker, Rudi Bremer, Jack Schmidt, Nadyat El Gawley, Alison Zhuang, Siobhan Marin and Ali Gul Rehman.