Churches will continue to have a voice on local authority education committees, after the Scottish Government, in late February, rejected a bid to end the practice.
The Edinburgh Secular Society (ESS) had wanted changes to rules which require education committees to appoint representatives from religious organisations. Under the 1973 Local Government Act, three religious figures should be included, representing a range of Christian churches. The secularists’ idea had faced criticism from churches who said they offer a helpful service to schools.
No plan to change
In a letter, the Government said: ‘Ministers support the involvement of religious representatives in the decision-making process by councils in relation to education, and do not have any plans to change the existing provisions within the 1973 Act’.
The result was welcomed by David Robertson, a Free Church minister and director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity. He said: ‘We are delighted that the Scottish Government has refused to bow to the secular-ist agenda. We hope to continue to have a major input into Scotland’s education system – for the sake of Scotland’s children’.
In January, the ESS gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee, having gathered 1,778 signatures in opposition to the current legislation.
