The facts about Catholic Education
Myth: Catholic schools are overfunded by the federal and state and territory governments.
Non-government schools, including Catholic schools, in Australia receive government funding which significantly reduces the burden on the government education system. Catholic school families are required to contribute 25 per cent of the base funding given to each student.
Catholic schools also fund nearly 90 per cent of their capital works through contributions from families, and generate more than $17 billion for the Australian economy every year. These financial contributions save billions of dollars for Australian taxpayers, so the idea that non-government schools receive too much funding is not accurate.
Myth: Catholic schools exclude students and staff from diverse backgrounds.
Catholic schools welcome students and staff from all backgrounds and faiths, with many non-Catholic families choosing Catholic Education for its values and strong academic reputation. The system delivers inclusive learning environments and support programs for a growing number of disadvantaged students. Almost 40 per cent of Catholic schools are located in regional, rural and remote areas. In the past decade, Catholic schools have seen a 116 per cent increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Furthermore, students with disability make up 23 per cent of the student population in Catholic schools.
Myth: Catholic schools do not face teacher shortages like government schools.
40 per cent of Catholic schools are located in regional, rural and remote areas. As such, these schools struggle to attract teachers, just like government schools. This has been a particularly concerning trend for several years, and more needs to be done to ensure all schools can attract, incentivise and support educators. For example, the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships program unfairly requires recipients to work only in government schools, which is a significant disadvantage for Catholic schools that face the same challenges.
Myth: The Catholic Education sector is declining.
Any suggestion the Catholic Education sector is declining is incorrect. There has been an 8.2 per cent increase in the number of students attending Catholic schools across Australia, over the last decade.
Today, there are 1,751 Catholic schools that educate one in five Australian students. As Australia’s population continues to grow, government support for the system remains critical. Catholic Education is focused on supporting more than 820,000 students and 112,000 staff as it offers quality education for a growing community.
Myth: Catholic schools are only for highly educated or wealthy families; they promote exclusivity and elitism; they are not expected to cater to disadvantaged students.
The suggestion that Catholic schools only enrol students because they come from highly educated, and/or wealthy families, is simply false. More than 42 per cent of Catholic school students come from the lowest socio-educational quartiles. Recent research also confirms disadvantage is a growing issue for all school sectors* yet Catholic school parents are required to contribute 25 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS), often making significant sacrifices to contribute to their children’s education.
All students deserve support, regardless of where they go to school. Rather than fostering division, we should focus on ensuring all schools have the resources needed to help disadvantaged students succeed.
*Source: Disrupting disadvantage in Australian Schools
Authorised by J Collins, National Catholic Education Commission, Level 3, 156 Gloucester Street, Sydney.