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 | | Saturday, 8 September, 2001, 10:44 GMT 11:44 UK Union boss warns of schools 'time-bomb'  Bill Morris says the plans will increase racial tension Union chief Bill Morris has warned that the government's plan to increase the number of faith-based schools is a "time-bomb" which threatens to increase racial tension. He said the dangers of segregation were demonstrated by the recent violence involving children outside the Holy Cross Roman Catholic School in the Ardoyne area of Belfast. His comments also follow a summer of race riots in several towns in the north of England. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the head of the Transport and General Workers Union urged ministers to rethink the policy, which is a central part of the drive to improve education standards.
"The social discohesion of our society could be in the making. This particular policy worries me greatly." But Canon John Hall, general secretary of the Church of England Board of Education, told the Telegraph: "A school that does not encourage the faith of the community it is serving does a disservice to the development of the whole child. 'Positive impact of faith' "Faith is part of life and needs to be reflected within schools. To say it is divisive is not to recognise the positive impact faith has on life and its role in creating morally responsible people." Mr Morris, who describes himself as an "economic migrant", was born in Jamaica but came to Britain 46 years ago. He also criticised the government's treatment of asylum seekers and said the American system of managed immigration provided a "much more sensible way" of dealing with the issue. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Education stories now:  Links to more Education stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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