Christian teachers could be forced to act against conscience

The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales has warned the General Teaching Council (GTC) that its new code of conduct may force Christian teachers out of the profession. Alarm bells were rung by Principle 4 of the draft code. This says teachers must ‘proactively challenge discrimination’ and ‘promote equality and value diversity in all their professional relationships and interactions’. The bishops and other groups are worried that liberal groups or parents could use these to force church schools and Christian teachers to promote Islam and gay lifestyles. Oona Stannard, head of the Catholic Education Service, said ‘It would be unacceptable to expect anyone ... to promote something contrary to their own faith beliefs’. The Christian Institute lobby organisation voiced the same concerns.

Sources: Daily Telegraph (2/3), The Catholic Herald (6/3)