wfn.org | Britains Adventists Against Non-Inclusive Education

[APD <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

June 28, 2001
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Britains Adventists Say 'No' to Non-Inclusive Education

London, United Kingdom.  Seventh-day Adventist educators 
and leaders have reacted to comments made last week by 
Lee Jasper, race relations advisor to the mayor of 
London, who said that the John Loughborough Seventh-day 
Adventist School in Tottenham should be seen as a model 
for "black-only" education. 

"The John Loughborough School is not, and never has been, 
an 'all black' school," said Keith Davidson, education 
director for the Adventist Church in England, in a statement 
issued June 25. He said current enrolment reflects more 
than 20 different national and ethnic backgrounds, ranging 
from African and Caribbean to Indian, Chinese, Caucasian, 
and Filipino.

The John Loughborough School was founded in 1980 and received 
a considerable boost in 1998 when it was awarded state funding. 
It has a track record for raising the achievement levels of 
children from minority backgrounds or those who are socially 
and economically deprived. School officials believe its success 
is largely due to the spiritual ethos and values underpinning 
its work.

The John Loughborough School has a current enrollment of 305 
and a staff of 23. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the 
Adventist Church operates two secondary schools and nine 
primary schools. Around the world more than 1 million 
students are educated in Adventist institutions.