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Loving thy Neighbour

1/28/2013

9 Comments

 
Leonard Baak, president, OneSchoolSystem.org
January 28, 2013
Picture
"I'm sorry, but your type is not welcome here."
It sounds like something you might have heard in Victorian England or the American South in the 19th or early to mid 20th centuries.  Discrimination reared its ugly head on many fronts.  In England, the class you were born into largely determined how far you could go in life.  Few women anywhere had any say in public affairs.  Black Americans – particularly in the south – faced segregation in education and a life toiling in a low paying job.
 
This week, the Windsor Star reported
here on another insidious form of discrimination: nepotism.  "I'm sorry, but you lack the genetic qualifications for a teaching position in our schools."
 
It is alleged – and is denied by school board officials – that nepotism is giving some teacher applicants to the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board an unfair advantage when it comes to landing jobs.  Whether or not there is truth to this allegation is not what piqued our interest.  What piqued our interest was the spectacle of Catholic teacher applicants crying foul over discrimination.
 
In Ontario, Catholic teacher applicants have 50% more job opportunities in publicly funded education than non-Catholic teacher applicants.  Why?  Because one third of Ontario's publicly funded teaching positions – those in our Catholic school boards – are essentially closed to two thirds of the population – the non-Catholics.  Ontario's publicly funded Catholic school boards, you see, have an absolute right to refuse employment to non-Catholic teachers at all grade levels – and they exercise this right to the fullest.

Picture
Non-Catholic teachers are as rare as Sasquatches in Catholic schools and where you can find one, they are ineligible for permanent positions, advancement, or promotion. Those we have spoken to are desperate to see an end to Catholic school funding so they’ll be able to compete for any publicly funded teaching position on their merits as a teacher.
  
 With regard to nepotism in the Windsor Essex Catholic board, as difficult and desperate the situation of some Catholic teacher applicants might be, that of any non-Catholic teacher applicant is far worse.  School boards should hire the best teacher applicants period – not the best by blood or by baptism. The admission of students to publicly funded schools should be similarly non-discriminatory.
 
Discrimination hurts. While we do sympathize with Catholic teachers facing it, it is our fervent hope that all reflect upon the greater pain of their non-Catholic neighbours.

Matthew 22:36-40 New International Version (NIV)

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest  commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Here endeth the lesson.
9 Comments
Bonnie
1/28/2013 11:29:09 pm

And if these Catholic teachers and/or applicants choose to live with or marry a divorced person, theywill be dismissed.

Reply
Edith Woodbridge
1/30/2013 07:03:48 am

The only way to make this issue palletable for politicians is to have
all parties agree to support the move to One School System -
in two languages. They talk about Three-Party support for the
funding of the Catholic system -- so lets have Three-Party support
for fairness and equality. Funding one denomination of one faith group is very offensive privilege, and the Constitution has allowed its
removal by its provisions in 1890 and could do so now.

Reply
Erin
2/20/2013 03:47:59 pm

Why not start a petition on change.org or something similar?

Reply
Leonard Baak link
2/25/2013 11:58:23 pm

A successful petition takes a lot of planning. One is being contemplated, but without the careful advance planning, the results would be disappointing. For now, please take every opportunity to point people at this web site and talk about the issue. We need to awaken Ontarians to the great cost -- in terms of dollars and lost opportunities -- of segregated Catholic education in Ontario.

Reply
John
3/8/2013 06:42:44 am

Ironic that the Bible is used as a reference on this page. This certainly wouldn't be possible in a secular school system.

Reply
Leonard Baak link
3/23/2013 02:45:00 am

The Great Commandment ("love thy neighbour as thyself") is quite fitting for pointing out the hypocrisy of certain Christians who believe the Catholic sect of the Christian faith should enjoy preferential treatment under the law.

Bible references are already quite OK in Ontario public schools -- as long as they are given within the context of a world religions course where religion is approached in a non-sectarian way. Not allowing sectarian religion (where one religion is presented as "truth") in public schools is not akin to persecution.

Reply
Heide
3/26/2013 02:43:59 am

I can't believe this is not headlines everywhere. I would join marches, parades, hold signs...All political parties need to make a one school system a priority for major money and energy savings for our Ontario. Count me in! Let's add a survey question to the next election ballot and really find out what the majority thinks! It is not about removing the Catholic system, but creating one system for all; incorporating the best from both systems.

Reply
Erin
3/31/2013 02:21:55 pm

Consider signing this. (It's not my petition but I did sign it):

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/One_PubliclyFunded_School_System_in_Ontario/?acmhJab

Reply
Cheap Hookups Idaho link
10/21/2022 09:02:19 pm

Good jobb

Reply



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