I would like to thank the Executive of Braidwood Central School for their attempt to be the first school in NSW to screen the enlightening and original film about Australia’s refugee issue, ‘Mary meets Mohammad’. The film movingly allows asylum seekers and ordinary Australians to express their feelings, fears and hopes about each other. The direction given by the Department of Education that to screen the film would be a breach of the ‘Controversial Issues Policy’ and the staff ‘Code of Conduct’, is a very disturbing reflection of current censorious government policy on asylum seekers. That so few parents came with their children to the public screening of the film is equally disappointing.
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But the Department’s misguided decision will certainly not stand in the way of the school’s mission to encourage ‘thoughtful, confident and caring citizens’ (Clare Kavunenko, letters, BT 5 March). This term, BCS primary students are preparing speeches for the annual Multicultural Public Speaking competition (ironically the Department’s own initiative) which offers each of them the chance to consider and present on topics such as ‘stereotypes’, ‘living between cultures’ and ‘empathising with other people’. I know from my own childrens’ experience how much they benefitted from this opportunity to research other cultures and explore the complexities of the refugee issue. Later this term the best of their speeches will be given in public – I encourage anyone with an interest in this issue to come along and hear what they have to say.
Bidda Jones
