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CANBERRA: The Bishops in Australia have written a pastoral letter to school leaders, staff, students and families for the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in the country, celebrated throughout 2021 with a range of events, beginning with the national virtual launch on Thursday.
The bi-centenary anniversary celebrates the founding, in October 1820, of the first official Catholic School in Australia by Irish priest Father John Therry. The school, according to Catholic historians, taught 31 students. An Irish Catholic convict, George Marley, who was sent to the colony, opened the school for Fr. Therry and ran it for three years. In 1837, the school was transferred to the site of the present St. Patrick s Cathedral in Parramatta, and it was subsequently entrusted to the care of the Marist Brothers in 1875.
Independent schools defy COVID-19 downturn to record fastest growth
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The independent school sector grew twice as fast as the public or Catholic sectors during 2020, scotching predictions parents would withdraw children because of the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Nationally, the independent sector - which is the countryâs smallest - grew by 2.6 per cent last year, ahead of government schoolsâ 1.3 per cent growth and Catholic schoolsâ 1.2 per cent, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.
Between 2016 and 2020, the independent sectorâs market share grew by 9.5 per cent, ahead of public schools (5.9) and Catholic schools (1.5).
Credit: GUNDAM Ai / Shutterstock.
Canberra, Australia, Feb 18, 2021 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- Australia‘s Catholic bishops marked the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in the country this week, calling for continued renewal of Catholic education in the country and the primacy of Catholic identity, while also stressing the importance of adequate funding.
“We are fortunate to have Catholic schools in most towns and suburbs, and university campuses in most capital cities, serving students from diverse backgrounds and beliefs,” said Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, of Sydney, who chairs the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education.
In their pastoral letter
200 Years Young, the Australian bishops challenged “all those involved in Catholic education to dedicate themselves to ensuring that our primary and secondary schools … are truly Catholic in their identity and life, are centres of the new evangelisation, enable our students to achieve high levels of Catholic religious lite
Independent schools defy COVID-19 downturn to record fastest growth smh.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smh.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.