Displaying items by tag: Christian teacher

Kristie Higgs, a Christian pastoral administrator, was sacked for two of her Facebook posts that raised concerns about transgenderism and sex education at her son’s CofE primary school. On 14 July she won the right to appeal her case and will challenge her dismissal at an employment appeal tribunal. She will argue that her dismissal breached her freedom of speech. We can pray that this appeal will successfully raise important issues on the approach currently adopted by tribunals regarding demonstrations and expressions of beliefs. The judge directed that the appeal be listed in ‘Category A’, which means the case will be heard by a full three-member panel because it is complex and raises points of law of public importance.

Last year Vietnam passed a cybersecurity law requiring social media sites to remove any content requested by the government. Of the 128 political prisoners in jail, approximately 10% were jailed over alleged Facebook posts. Nguyen Nang Tinh, a 43-year-old Christian music teacher, has been sentenced to eleven years in prison on charges of propaganda against the state in Facebook posts. On 17 September, police officially closed the investigation and set a court date. On 17 November he was sentenced by the courts, a month later than originally scheduled. He was charged with ‘fabricated, preserved and disseminated information, materials and objects with the aim of opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam’. The posts in question were made under a Facebook account with the same name, though Tinh has repeatedly claimed that it is not his.

Franciscan friar Peter Tabichi, a science teacher in Kenya, won this year's $1million Global Teacher Prize. Not only is Peter an excellent teacher, he also gives 80% of his earnings to deprived students living in a region of severe drought and famine. He teaches high-schoolers in a school with no library or laboratory, and only one computer with limited internet access. Many students are orphans or come from a single-parent home. Tabichi views his award as a big win for Africa and all teachers and students who struggle every day with so many challenges. He will not keep the money for himself, but will use it to improve his school and feed the poor. ‘I intend to give it back to society; I intend to come up with projects that will seek to solve the problems facing the school and the community.'

In November you prayed for Joshua Sutcliffe, the Christian maths teacher facing discipline for 'misgendering' a school student. See: He is now taking his employer to court after being dismissed for gross misconduct. The child had self-declared as ‘male’, but Sutcliffe had been given no formal instruction on how he was to refer to the pupil. When the pupil became irate Sutcliffe apologised. However, an investigation began. Sutcliffe’s claim of discrimination also stems from his school Bible club being shut down 18 months after it began. Sutcliffe said he was more than willing to answer all the unjustified allegations against him, and detail his grievances about 'equality' policies and practices, but would do so before an independent tribunal not school governors. The Christian Legal Centre said cases like these have become common as children are making decisions against their natural born biological sex.

Joshua Sutcliffe, a respected Christian maths teacher at an Oxfordshire secondary school, is facing discipline for 'misgendering' a student. On 2 November a complaint was made that Joshua referred to a pupil as a 'girl', rather than the desired ‘boy’. Although born as a girl, the pupil had self-declared as ‘male’. Joshua had not been given any formal instruction on how to refer to the pupil. An investigation began immediately; Joshua was prevented from teaching and forced to spend all his time ‘in isolation’ in the staff room. He is now suspended, pending a further investigation. Joshua said, ‘While “gender is fluid” conflicts sharply with my Christian beliefs, I recognise my responsibility as a teacher and Christian to treat each of my pupils with respect and dignity. I have never looked to impose my convictions on others, I just try to live out the gospel of peace.’