A religious symbol, not a knife: at the heart of the NSW kirpan ban is a battle to define secularism

By Renae Barker
Community contribution / May 27, 2021

The New South Wales Government has put a temporary ban on Sikh students carrying a kirpan in public schools.

The kirpan is a ceremonial dagger baptised Sikhs carry to symbolise their duty to stand up against injustice.

The ban ...

Primary Teachers - Years 1 and 2

Hume Anglican Grammar Mickleham VIC

Passionate Lower Primary Generalist Teachers are sought to join our team in a supportive and professional environment at our Donnybrook Campus!

Teaching - Primary / Sep 08, 2026

Unqualified Nursery Practitioner

Veritas Surrey

Teaching - Early childhood / Sep 08, 2026

Nursery Practitioner

Veritas North West London

Teaching - Early childhood / Sep 08, 2026

School news / ‘Disgusting commentary’: MPs slam Nationals leader over ‘feminised’ education claim

A claim by the federal Nationals leader that the feminisation of education is fuelling online misogyny has been labelled “disgusting”.

School news / Concern for schools of ‘last resort’ and ‘last hope’ for many

School Can’t Australia has expressed concern about the special assistance school sector’s future and urged federal, state and territory governments to review funding arrangements to protect vulnerable students who otherwise are unable to access ed...

School news / Schools need earlier identification strategies to tackle disruptive behaviour: expert

Nine minutes lost in every half hour of class time due to disruptive behaviour is a serious finding and we shouldn’t minimise what that means for teachers or students – but the question is, what was happening for those students before they walked ...

School news / Urgent action required: plea for more than consent lessons to stop sex violence

Australia cannot rely on consent education alone to combat sexual violence, the leader of a key round-table has warned.

School news / Research shows ethics education teaches kids right from wrong. Why can so few students access it?

School news / Protecting students and teachers: sunscreen petition nears 1500 signatures

A Queensland parliamentary petition calling for controversial sunscreen chemicals banned or restricted overseas to be kept out of government schools and workplaces, and state-funded projects, is rapidly gaining traction, approaching 1500 signatures.

School news / Plans by Maitland-Newcastle Catholic schools to cut teacher librarian roles slammed

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Australian Coalition for School Libraries (ACSL) say they are “extremely concerned” by the announcement from Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle that they plan to cut teacher librar...

Community / International Literacy Day of particular importance to students with dyslexia

International Literacy Day held each year on September 8th is a chance to come together as educators to celebrate what it means to be part of the literacy journey for all students.

School news / ‘Humiliated and violated’: school deepfake victims reveal toll of perpetrator’s actions

A mother has revealed her anguish over how and when to tell her young daughter she had been targeted by a deepfake image creator who distributed sexualised pictures.

School news / Teachers say one third of learning time is lost to student misbehaviour: new study

Almost one third of lesson time is lost to student misbehaviour in Australian classrooms, a new study has warned, suggesting repeated low-level disruptions that can derail learning and escalate into more violent behaviour have become normalised.

A religious symbol, not a knife: at the heart of the NSW kirpan ban is a battle to define secularism

Comments

EducationID

Our services

Ad centre