Just caught this one on BBC news - the headteacher of a primary school in Sheffield has resigned after conflicting with the local education authority. The controversy surrounded the former head's plan to overturn a decision to have separate assemblies for Christian and Muslim children. Quite frankly I think that the headteacher, whoever she is, deserves a medal.
We already live in a divided Britain. White kids play with white kids, Muslim kids play with other Muslims and live in similar areas in our towns and cities. Now, whilst I don't have a great problem with this (other than the fact that it perpetuates intolerance and ignorance simply because the two groups do not actually 'spend time' with each other), I DO have a problem when this is continued within a school community. Although I know nothing about the school, the fact that it caters for white and Muslim children shows that it is non-denominational. Therefore, what is the problem with a provision for some form of secular worship? Arrangements could be made for religious observance where necessary - by physically splitting up the two ethnicities, we enter dangerous territory in which segregated 'groupings' are created - and in this situation each side recognises one as an 'other' from an early age. This will have untold consequences for both sides' impression of the 'other' by the time they reach adolescence.
In other news, I have now booked my summer holiday - as follows:
Sat 1 Aug 09: Luton-Bucharest (not Budapest as I had originally booked in error - thanks to the delightful people at 'Wizzair' this was soon rectified)
Sat 15 Aug 09: Istanbul-Gatwick
This gives me two weeks travelling around Transylvannia, Bulgaria, northern Turkey and, of course, Istanbul - the one city on earth that I most desperately want to visit!
Three days til half term!
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