Secular state? Pull the other one!

I have mentioned on a few occasions in the past my disgust at the privileged status afforded to religious groups and individuals in the UK by the government. Here is a prime example of what deeply concerns me.

Reg Vardy is a successful car dealership owner in the UK who also happens to be a fundamentalist Christian. He believes that the earth was formed less than 10,000 years ago and says every word in the Bible is fact and should be taught as such. Vardy has set up the Vardy Foundation which is campaigning to take over "failing" schools in England. The schools, prior to their take over, were vunerable because, being in poor areas with disadvantaged children, it easy to criticise them as "failing" (even when exam results have improved dramatically in the years immediately prior to take over).

Vardy has found a way to further his fundamentalist views by exploiting the government's city academy scheme which encourages private enterprise to both fund and take an active role in the curriculum at state run schools. All he has to do to receive £20 million in funding is pledge to contribute £2 million of his own money. For that, not only does he get £20 million from the government, running costs and salaries in perpetuity, but he also gets to have a controlling infulence over what is taught in those schools. So, for an investment of only 10%, he gets to have creationism taught as science in his schools and the tax payer is left with the rest of the bill - 90% of the costs!

It is not surprising that Tony Blair and Reg Vardy are old cronies. The Prime Minister opened another Vardy Foundation sponsored school in Middlesborough recently and has awarded Vardy with a knighthoond for services to business and "education".

I think this is a truly appaling situation and deeply worrying for the future of state education in this country.

The full article on which I based this post can be found at RichardDawkins.net