Gladys: ‘Don’t wag school to protest climate change’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged schoolchildren not to wag class today to protest climate change while Catholic schools have told students that doing so is not going to "change the world".
It comes after the heads of prestigious schools Newington College and Sydney Church of England Grammar School gave their students the green light to attend the rally scheduled for noon at The Domain.
Ms Berejiklian suggested students should discuss how they can express their views with their teachers, rather than miss out on learning time.
It’s early morning in the Pacific. Soon the sun will rise on September 20th 2019. Good luck Australia, The Philippines, Japan and all the Pacific islands. You go first! Now lead the way!#fridaysforfuture #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) September 19, 2019
(NZ + many others go next week.) pic.twitter.com/u1pji4SySN
"Of course, we encourage students to be passionate about issues of importance to them, and this can be done at school," she said.
"There are plenty of ways for students to express their views and still attend school.
"Skipping school to att-end a protest is not acceptable."
Catholic Education NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney told students yesterday cutting class would not change the world.
"We believe students should learn about and discuss these issues in class where there is a responsibility on teachers to present information on important, contentious issues in a balanced and factual way," he said.
"Skipping school doesn't change the world, and we don't accept there needs to be a clash between attending class and caring about global issues."
