Faith schools approved

The British government is standing firm behind its plan to allow more Christian, Islamic and Jewish schools to be built if parents want them, but they have to be "inclusive", education secretary Estelle Morris told the Church of England General Synod.

The September 11th atrocities, and the summer's race riots in several northern English towns, have stoked the controversy surrounding so-called "faith" schools and whether they inflame tensions between different ethnic groups.

Morris said such schools could work in partnership with those run by different religions and play an important role in their local communities.

The recent White Paper on school reform stated: "We know that some faith groups are interested in extending their contribution to state education. We wish to welcome faith schools, with their distinctive ethos and character, into the maintained (state) sector, where there is clear local agreement."

Lord Ouseley, former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, cited the emergence of "monocultural" state schools in Bradford as a key factor in the tensions there.

Cash-for-grades scandal

Teachers in Mpumalanga, South Africa, have been filmed bribing corrupt officials in an attempt to boost their school's exam results.

The bribes were apparently aimed at making teachers at the school look good, and helping them toward bonuses and promotions.

A two-month undercover investigation by a TV programme uncovered the scam and led to the pre-emptive suspension of Joyce Khumalo, an official who was filmed accepting a R4,500 (€527) bribe to increase the average matric pass rate at the school in five subjects. She told the still unidentified teacher that she expected the balance of the bribe to be paid in January, after the marks had been fraudulently altered.

The scam implicates the unnamed school's principal and all other senior staff.