Evangelical schools fight Quebec curriculum rules

OTTAWA — The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is fighting back against the Quebec Ministry of Education, which requires that unlicensed evangelical schools follow the provincial curriculum, including sex education and Darwin’s theory of evolution.

That rule “squeezes religious freedom,” says Janet Epp Buckingham, lawyer for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

Epp Buckingham argues there must be a balance between provincial standards for private schools and the religious rights of parents and students. She said the rights of evangelical schools to teach according to parents’ religious beliefs has been an issue since 1997 when Quebec divided schools along language instead of religious lines. Twenty evangelical Christian schools will have to negotiate with the Quebec ministry about what they are required to teach.

“There has been a growth in the private school system in Quebec so parents can continue to have a religious component in their children’s education,” Epp Buckingham said. “But the question remains:who should have control over education and what is being taught?”

Roderick Cornell, vice-principal of the licensed Emmanuel Christian School in Montreal, said unlicensed “church basement” schools use the U.S.-based Accelerated Christian Education program that does not follow the Quebec curriculum.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day used the curriculum from 1979 to 1985 when he ran the Bentley Christian Training Centre, an independent school of 100 students near Red Deer, Alta.

An Alberta government report on the curriculum in 1985 found it contained “a degree of insensitivity towards blacks, Jews and natives” and wouldn’t allow it in public schools. The ACE program was rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible and taught creationism over evolution.

Cornell said licensed private schools in Quebec must have qualified staff and follow the provincial curriculum. “You can add to the program but you have to tell students what evolution is all about because that is on the curriculum,” said. “I have my doubts about evolution, but we still have to teach it.”

Pierre Daoust, director general of the Coeur-des-Vallees school board inThurso, Que., located across the Ottawa River from the nation’s capital, lodged the complaint that sparked a provincewide investigation.

Daoust said the school board is concerned about the education of 15 students at a school operated by l’Eglise evangelique near Saint-Andre-Avellin, Que., because the board could be held legally responsible if graduates’ diplomas were not recognized.

In addition to those 15 students, another 40 attend an unlicensed evangelical school in Gatineau, Que., and there is a third in Hull, Que. The other school boards haven’t complained, said Daoust.

Education Ministry spokeswoman Marie-France Boulay said this week the province will negotiate for several weeks with an unspecified number of evangelical schools to determine whether they can meet provincial standards that include the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Read Another Article

Bearing witness to a sea change in Unitarian practice
[Embassy of God] Nigerian pastor finds new flock in Ukraine

Related News Articles Topic(s): Science and Religion Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Science and Religion Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog