Charity belongs...out of school
WORKERS, DEC 2005 ISSUE
Every secondary school in England is to receive £500 as part of a package on charitable giving called "A Generous Society". Pupils will be encouraged to top up the £500 through fundraising efforts of their own, and will be responsible for managing the fund.
Paul Goggins, the "minister for charity", apparently unaware of the considerable amount schools do for charity, said, "What we want to do now is to put into people's minds the notion that giving is something that you do on a long term basis, not just in response to disasters." He wants the ethos of giving to rub off on their parents. And he wants "the giving nation curriculum", teaching pupils about the voluntary sector, rolled out to primary schools.
With Blair's ministers wanting charities to take on an ever-increasing role in the provision of public services, including in education, services and institutions cannot be left to amateurs and religious fundamentalists. We need to show our support for fully trained professionals. Wasting curriculum time teaching about charities is not an option. Do we not want to live in a country that has no need for charities?