Education Office attacked over exemption bid

Sydney
15 December 2002

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Education Office attacked over exemption bid

By Marilyn Rodrigues

The Catholic Education Office’s effort to offer some male-only primary teaching scholarships has come under fire from the Independent Education Union (Radical bid for men-only teaching job offers CW 1/12).

Dick Shearman, the general secretary of the NSW and ACT branch of the Independent Education Union, said that the Catholic Education Office’s plan to get a temporary exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act so as to offer the scholarships is “simplistic and unnecessary”.

“Scholarships should be available to men and women,” he said.

“The Catholic employers are too keen on exemptions from laws which apply generally to protect employees from discrimination.”

However, in its application to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Catholic Education Office suggested that the scholarships might fall within part of the Sex Discrimination Act that allows for a ‘special measure’ intended to achieve equality.

A ‘special measure’ for the commission is a type of affirmative action, and the Catholic Education Office suggested that its plan is a “strategy to attempt to address the specific imbalance between the proportions of male and female teachers in primary schools”.

The Education Office has applied to the commission for a five-year exemption only.

The commission grants exemptions in cases of exceptional circumstances and where there is clear justification.

If the the exemption is granted, the Catholic Education Office will offer eight primary school teaching scholarships next year to male HSC graduates in outer Sydney areas.

Other scholarships would still be available to female applicants.

Mr Shearman agreed that special efforts are needed to attract more men to primary school teaching.

He suggested talking to male HSC students about the profession.