More Schools to Be Investigated over 'Extremist Muslim' Plot Fears

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More schools will be investigated by the Department for Education over concerns about extremist plots to take over institutions

The number of schools to be investigated over fears children are being “radicalised” by extremist Muslims attempting to seize control of institutions has increased to 25.

Teams of inspectors are to be sent into schools and will be able to penalise those where religious conservatism is believed to be getting in the way of teaching.

The Department for Education (DfE) launched the investigation after an alleged Islamic takeover plot to force out governors and head teachers was reported in Birmingham.

An anonymous letter claiming responsibility for changes in leadership at four schools in the city says it was part of a campaign called Operation Trojan Horse. The letter set out a blueprint for seizing control of schools and claimed a radical group of Muslims were pursuing their own agenda in classrooms and forcing out head teachers and governors who refused to cooperate. Read on and comment » | Claire Carter, and agencies | Monday, April 14, 2014

My comment:

The politicians/authorities are up their necks in trouble, all caused by mass immigration. Serves them right! Trouble is that we, the people, have to suffer for their foul up. If ever we were in need of a change of narrative, we are today. Change it now! Islam is not a 'religion of peace' but a religion which brings with it only trouble and strife. Can't the fools look around them and observe? In each and every country where Islam is strong, there is trouble and strife. Yet these fools keep on with the narrative of Islam being a 'religion of peace'. – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Merkel Backs Call for EU School Lessons to Counter 'Growing Euro-scepticism'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Irish Prime
Minister Enda Kenny

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The German Chancellor wants "EU education in schools across Europe to prepare the next generation and to nurture a European approach"

School students should be given a "European Union education" in the classroom to tackle "ignorance" and growing public Euro-scepticism, according to an election manifesto signed by Angela Merkel and eight other of Europe's leaders.

The European People’s Party (EPP), the EU’s biggest political grouping, is convinced such a programme would improve the public image of Brussels, which has never been lower.

Its manifesto for May’s European elections calls for the introduction of “EU education in schools across Europe in order to prepare the next generation for future challenges and to nurture a European approach”.

“Europe has been in crisis for more than five years. Many people, especially the young, do not foresee a positive future. Euroscepticism is growing,” the manifesto said.

“United, we can make sure that young people look at the future with optimism, hope and confidence.” » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, March 07, 2014

Muslim Boys’ School Bans Women from Applying for Job as Science Teacher

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An Islamic school has advertised for a new science teacher but ruled out female applicants

A Muslim boys’ school is facing claims of segregation after advertising for a temporary science teacher but making clear that women need not apply.

The advert published by the outsourcing company Capita requested a “Male Science Teacher” to cover lessons, including some mathematics classes, until the end of the current academic year on a short term contract for up to £150 a day.

Secular campaigners said the advertisement was just the latest in a series of demands for religious customs and practices to be “accommodated” in the education system as a result of giving faith groups the power to run schools.

It follows a storm over allegations that non-Muslim female staff at the Al-Madinah free school in Derby had been forced to wear headscarves in line with strict Islamic practices.

There have also been concerns that girls at other Islamic schools are being required to wear full veils as well as questions over segregation in classes.

Capita argued that the exclusion of women could be legally justified but the advert was later withdrawn after a warning from the Department for Education over the need to comply with equality law.

The National Secular Society said it had been alerted to the advertisement by a female science teacher who had been looking for work in the Leicester area. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, February 27, 2014

Pope Francis Calls Unfettered Capitalism 'Tyranny' and Urges Rich to Share Wealth

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff's first major publication calls on global leaders to guarantee work, education and healthcare

Pope Francis has attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny", urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality in the first major work he has authored alone as pontiff.

The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, amounted to an official platform for his papacy, building on views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.

In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticising the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money" and beseeching politicians to guarantee all citizens "dignified work, education and healthcare".

He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.

"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

The pope said renewal of the church could not be put off and the Vatican and its entrenched hierarchy "also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion".

"I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," he wrote.

In July, Francis finished an encyclical begun by Pope Benedict but he made clear that it was largely the work of his predecessor, who resigned in February.

Called Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), the exhortation is presented in Francis's simple and warm preaching style, distinct from the more academic writings of former popes, and stresses the church's central mission of preaching "the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ". » | Reuters | Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Hitler Remarks RE Teacher David McNally Struck Off

BBC: A religious education teacher has been struck off after telling pupils: "Hitler wasn't all bad - he killed the Jews, the gays and the disabled".

David McNally also told pupils at Kilwinning Academy that he would rather have been a child abuser and liked to watch porn on his mobile phone.

The remarks were made to S3 and higher RE classes on 1 November 2012.

McNally will be struck off after he was found to be unfit to teach by the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

In his submission to the General Teaching Council, McNally accepted he had made the remarks but that he was having a particularly bad day. » | Monday, October 28, 2013

Non-faith School Shuts for Islamic Holiday

Dean Logan, Headteacher

EXPRESS: HUNDREDS of non-Muslim pupils are having a three-day holiday this week because their school has closed for the religious festival Eid-ul-Adha.

Only about half the children at 1,050-strong Witton Park High in Blackburn, Lancs, celebrate the second most important festival in the Muslim year.

But headteacher Dean Logan worked the calendar at the non-faith school to give all youngsters and staff the break, angering some parents.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “I find it remarkable they are to close the school when not everyone celebrates Eid. It isn’t a national holiday and has nothing to do with the faith of the school. There is no reason for non-Muslim children to take three days off at this time.”

The exact timing of Eid-ul-Adha, meaning Festival of Sacrifice, depends on sightings of the moon. » | Jan Disley | Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Revealed: Dress Code at Islamic school that Forces Female Teachers to Wear a Hijab Regardless of Religion

MAIL ONLINE: A former teacher at the 'multi-faith' Al-Madinah School in Derby has told how staff were issued with a Quran-quoting dress code / The 50-year-old claims she was forced to quit when she wouldn't comply / Al-Madinah is already being investigated by the Education Funding Agency / Officials from the Office for Standards in Education are also expected to inspect the school within days following other allegations

A teacher has revealed how she was forced to resign after refusing to comply with a strict school dress code insisting all female staff wear hijabs regardless of their religion.

Al-Madinah School has imposed strict conditions on what teachers can wear and has told staff they can't take non-halal food into school or wear jewellery.

Now a former teacher, who has more 20 years of classroom experience, has told how she was forced to quit after being 'hassled' when she deviated from the Quran-quoting dress code.

The 50-year-old started working at Al-Madinah when it opened as a multi-faith free school a year ago.

She said: 'It wasn’t until an induction session, just before the school opened, that female non-Muslim staff were told they must wear a head covering, which was not made clear at any time during my interview for the job or was part of any contract.

'I reluctantly complied and either wore a head scarf or small hat, but took it off when I wasn’t in the classroom, but for which I was reprimanded.

'Wearing the head covering was difficult for me because I am a Christian and had I known it was compulsory for non-Muslim staff I would never have accepted the position.'

The teacher, who does not want to be named, said she was even sent a text from the school saying it 'insisted on' a 'modest dress code. Full length dress or skirt acceptable'. She said she asked how her outfit - a business suit - was not modest. 'The skirt was well below the knee and I wore thick black tights that covered my legs', she said.

The teacher told how she was offended at the suggestion her clothes were 'immodest' and was left particularly angry after being was told to take instructions from two male teachers about what was considered 'modest'. Read on and comment » | Susannah Hills | Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Non-Muslim Teachers ‘Forced to Wear Veil’ at Faith School

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Female teachers at a state funded Muslim school have been ordered to cover their heads with Islamic scarves during school hours even if they are not Muslim, it has been claimed.

Staff at Al-Madinah School, in Derbyshire, say that they have been told to sign new contracts agreeing to wear hijabs and make girls sit at the back of classes.

The Muslim faith school, which caters for 200 students aged four to 16, also forbids the teachers from bringing in non-Halal food or wearing unacceptable jewellery, it is claimed.

Non-Asian staff have been seen removing the headgear immediately when leaving the building, but refused to reveal the extent of the school's demands.

Nick Raine, regional NUT officer, said: "We are very worried about the school and the education of the 200 children there.

"It's one thing to have a dress code which we can challenge and quite another to build it into a contract.

"The school is publicly accountable so there needs to be greater transparency." Read on and comment » | Hayley Dixon | Friday, September 20, 2013

My comment:

Imagine what it's going to be like in this country once Muslims hold the whip hand! – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Birmingham College Bans Muslim Veils

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A college has been accused of discrimination after it banned Muslim students from wearing religious veils.

Birmingham Metropolitan College ordered all students, staff and visitors to remove any face coverings so individuals are "easily identifiable at all times".

The move led to claims that Muslim students were being discriminated against after women were told they could not wear the niqab, a veil that leaves only a slot for the eyes.

The disclosure comes as proposals to ban face coverings in public places are being debated in Parliament.

A private members bill proposed by Philip Hollobone, the Conservative MP for Kettering, would make it an offence for someone to wear “a garment or other object” intended primarily to obscure their face, in public. » | Edward Malnick | Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Kansas Elementary School Removes Board Showing Five Pillars of Islam

THE KANSAS CITY STAR: A bulletin board at a Wichita elementary school that illustrated the Five Pillars of Islam has been removed “because of the misunderstanding that has been promoted by … one photograph,” district officials said Monday.

The bulletin board at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet Elementary was intended to aid students’ study of major religions of the world, district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said in an e-mail. It featured five white, construction-paper columns and the words, “The Five Pillars of Islam.”

A photograph of the bulletin board, reportedly taken on the first day of school Wednesday, was posted over the weekend on a Facebook page titled “Prepare to Take America Back.” It has since been shared on several conservative blogs.

“Students at Minneha Core Knowledge Elementary School in Wichata (sic) Kansas were met with this their first day of school,” a caption under the photo said. “This is a school that banned all forms of Christian prayer. … This can not stand.” » | Susanne Perez Tobias | The Wichita Eagle | Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Vietnam Offers Free Courses in Marxism and Ho Chi Minh Studies

BBC: Vietnam is to waive university fees for philosophy students who agree to take courses in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology, in a bid to boost the uptake of unpopular courses.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decree stipulating the fee exemption.

It will also apply to medical students who want to focus on TB, leprosy, mental illnesses and surgical sciences.

In addition traditional Vietnamese drama and opera students will get a reduction in their fees.

In recent years, the number of students who want to study "communist sciences" has dwindled sharply even though Vietnam takes pride in its Marxist heritage.

Pham Tan Ha, head of admission and training at the Social and Human Sciences University in Ho Chi Minh City, told local media that his university had been struggling to attract new students to study philosophy, including Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology. » | Nga Pham, BBC News, Bangkok | Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Only in California! California Passes Law Giving Rights to Transgender Children in Schools

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pupils in California schools who identify as transgender will be free to choose which lavatories they use and whether they want to play on sports teams for boys or girls, under a new state law.

All 6.2 million state-school pupils aged between five and 18 are to have the right “to participate in sex-segregated programmes, activities and facilities” based on their self-perception rather than birth gender.

The law, which is the first of its kind to be passed by any American state, was hailed as a milestone by a coalition group of quality campaigners after it was signed by Governor Jerry Brown.

“This is a powerful affirmation of basic human dignity, and puts California at the forefront of leadership on transgender rights,” said John Perez, the Speaker of the California Assembly. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Nigel Farage Says Britain Is 'Terrified' Of Upsetting Muslims

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Ukip leader Nigel Farage today denied he was jumping on a political bandwagon by supporting a primary school dinner lady sacked for accidentally serving pork to a Muslim pupil.

Alison Waldock, 51, has said she forgot the dietary needs of seven-year-old Khadija Darr when she asked if she wanted roast gammon, and the youngster said yes.

The headteacher of Queen Edith Primary School in Cambridge spotted the mistake as the youngster was about to eat her lunch and swept the plate away from her.

But after the girl's parents were told about the mistake, they complained to the school's catering firm and Ms Waldock, a dinner lady for 11 years, was suspended and then dismissed.

Mr Farage told ITV1's Daybreak programme: "It's outrageous, isn't it? We've all made mistakes in our lives and in our jobs, and I can imagine 250 kids coming through chattering, it's noisy, you've got time pressures on you, and mistakes get made.

"The reason that Alison's been sacked is that we're so terrified in this country of causing offence to anybody, particularly the Muslim religion." » | Press Association | Thursday, August 01, 2013

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Alison Waldock Dinner Lady Row: Muslim Parents Speak Out Over 'Gammongate' » | Mehdi Hassan | Friday, August 02, 2013

Related »

Family Who Got Dinner Lady Fired after She Accidentally Served Their Child Gammon Are Emigrating to Muslim Country

MAIL ONLINE: Zahid and Rumana Darr asked for Alison Waldock to be dismissed / Miss Waldock accidentally served pork, forbidden by Islam, to their daughter / The Darrs are now moving to the conservative UAE

The parents involved in the sacking of a school dinner lady who mistakenly served gammon to their daughter are to emigrate to a Muslim country.

Alison Waldock, 51, was accused of gross misconduct and says she lost her job after Zahid and Rumana Darr asked that she be dismissed.

Today it can be revealed that Mr and Mrs Darr and their three children are emigrating to the United Arab Emirates later this month. The family have chosen to move from their home in Cambridge to Sharjah, where alcohol is banned and there are the strictest decency laws in the emirates.

Mrs Darr, 33, wrote on her Facebook page: ‘So we’re leaving the country end of August for good … We’re moving to Sharjah. We want to go relax in a nice hot Muslim country where the kids know their identities as Muslims.’

The move comes after Mr Darr’s recruitment firm was closed down in June when he was found to be working as a company director illegally.

Following an investigation by the Insolvency Service, he was banned from holding company directorships after he was caught pocketing over £500,000 owed in tax in 2008.

His firm Interecruit (UK) went into liquidation after Mr Darr, 36, ‘diverted’ money owed to the taxman in VAT, income tax and national insurance to another of his companies.

The nine-year ban was imposed in February 2011 but in May this year he was found to be operating a similar company named Interecruit (GB), which supplied agricultural workers. (+ video) » | John Stevens | Thursday, August 01, 2013

Filipino Women Teachers Are Banned from Wearing Veils in the Classroom

MAIL ONLINE: Government bans Muslim teachers from wearing veils in front of pupils / Muslim Office claims so far no complaints have been received / It comes as France considers extending a ban on veils to private sector / Paris still counting the cost of riots after woman ordered to remove veil

Women teachers have been ordered to remove their veils when teaching in the classroom in the majority Catholic country of the Philippines.

It is the latest twist in the ongoing controversy over the wearing of the religious garment, that sparked a riot in the French capital Paris on Friday.

An order was sent out by the Filipino Government yesterday instructing female teachers to take off their religious veils in a move that was claimed would build a better relationship between teachers and pupils.

Education secretary Armin Luistro said it was part of reforms designed to make schools more sensitive to religion. Muslim schoolgirls will still be allowed to wear the veil in schools as well as 'appropriate clothing' in gym class.

But while female Muslim schoolteachers can wear the veil outside class, they have been told to remove the veil during lessons so they can interact better with students.

The order stated: 'Once the teacher is in the classroom, she is requested to remove the veil.'

It added the move would help aid 'proper identification of the teachers by their pupils, thus promoting better teacher-pupil relationship'.

It would also help the teaching of languages, where 'lip formation' plays a role in pronouncing certain letters.

The Government’s Office of Muslim Affairs said it agreed with the education department’s measures, although it had not yet received a copy of the order. » | Stuart Woledge | Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Une école gay en projet à Toronto
LE FIGARO: Le rectorat de la ville canadienne étudie l'ouverture d'un lycée pour les élèves gays. Une première consultation s'est tenue dans une ville où les écoles alternatives sont de plus nombreuses, avec des résultats mitigés.

«Une école pour les gays à Toronto?», s'interrogent ces jours-ci les médias de la Ville Reine. Des étudiants et des professeurs de la communauté homosexuelle de Toronto ont mené une première consultation pour étudier l'ouverture d'une école gay.

Ce lycée accueillerait des lycéens homosexuels âgés de 14 ans à 17 ans. Les deux instigateurs du projet sont un professeur et conseiller du Toronto District School Board, (équivalent du rectorat), Javier Davila et un étudiant torontois, Fan Wu. Si les contours d'une telle école demeurent encore flous, celle-ci recevrait des élèves, des professeurs et des personnels administratifs homosexuels.

«Il y a un réel manque d'éducation et un besoin pour une école qui encourage l'esprit critique, particulièrement dans les domaines du sexe et de la diversité sexuelle», a confié Fan Wu au magazine Torontois Xtra. Outre la mise en valeur d'une culture homosexuelle dans un Canada anglais où les librairies et les bibliothèques ont des rayons de littérature dite gay, les promoteurs du projet estiment que de nombreux étudiants se sentent rejetés ou persécutés et qu'une telle école ferait office de refuge. » | Par Ludovic Hirtzmann | vendredi 02 novembre 2012

Syllabus in Indonesia to Cut 'Non-essentials'
In a bid to lighten the workload of its students, the Indonesian government is mulling over a change to the primary school curricululm that would see the elimination of English, science, and social studies. Religion, the Indonesian language, and nationalism lessons, deemed essential, are set to take the place of the subjects should they be axed. Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta.

Pupils Asked 'Why Do Some People Hate Jews?' in GCSE Exam
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ministers have criticised Britain’s biggest exam board after pupils were asked to explain “why some people are prejudiced against Jews” as part of a GCSE.

More than 1,000 teenagers are believed to have sat the religious studies test paper which challenged pupils to assess the reasons behind anti-Semitism.

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, which set the exam, said the question acknowledged that “some people hold prejudices” – and did not attempt to justify them.

But the move has prompted criticism from the Government and religious leaders. Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, branded the move “insensitive”.

He told The Jewish Chronicle: “To suggest that anti-Semitism can ever be explained, rather than condemned, is insensitive and, frankly, bizarre. AQA needs to explain how and why this question was included in an exam paper.” » | Graeme Paton, Education Editor | Thursday, May 24, 2012

Nick Clegg: Academic Dominance of Private Schools Is Damaging Social Mobility

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The overwhelming dominance of privately-educated schoolchildren in Britain is “corrosive” for society, Nick Clegg has warned.

The sheer gulf in standards between state and independent schools is holding back social mobility and damaging the economy, according to the Deputy Prime Minister.

He said children educated in the private sector were three times more likely to achieve at least two As and B at A-level – the entry requirement for many top research universities – than pupils in state schools.

The gap in results between different school types is wider in Britain than almost any other developed country, it was revealed.

The comments were made as he prepared to launch a new drive designed to boost standards among poor children. » | Graeme Paton, Education Editor | Sunday, May 20, 2012

My comment:

First of all, they need to bring back the grammar school. Grammar schools gave children the chance of social mobility. Many children from grammar schools went on to Oxbridge, and many fine red brick universities.

Secondly, if Mr. Clegg really wants to ensure social mobility, the dumbing down of education has to stop. So, too, must grade inflation. Children need a rigorous and challenging examination system, not one driven by league tables and ever-increasing and 'wonderful' grades. Bring back the marking system which ensured that only the best achieved 'A' grades, some achieved very good, but reasonable exam results, and others failed. It's no use passing everyone with flying colours: results then come to mean nothing in the end.

Then, we should follow the Swiss system. In Switzerland, state schools are so good, and schools so well-funded that few Swiss people even want to attend the many prestigious private institutions there are in the country. There is no need for them to do so – the state system is so good. – G Mark

This comment also appears here

Revealed: Education's Great Class Divide
THE INDEPENDENT: Teachers warn of 'toxic' effect of a socially segregated system

Schools are becoming increasingly segregated along class lines, teachers have warned – calling spending cuts and reforms that hit poor pupils the Coalition's "dirty little secret".

The poorest children are suffering most from the "toxic" effects of socially divided schools, according to the leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers. "We have schools for the elite; schools for the middle class and schools for the working class," Mary Bousted said. "Too few schools have mixed intakes where children can learn those intangible life skills of aspiration, effort and persistence from one another."

Dr Bousted, who heads the most moderate of the three teachers' unions, added: "This Coalition Government's attack on poor children is a blight upon our conception of ourselves as a civilised society. They remind me of a former Prime Minister who said there was no such thing as society." » | Richard Garner | Thursday, April 05, 2012