4 days ago
The Friends' School in Hobart boycotts STEM programs sponsored by weapons manufacturers
A leading Tasmanian school will no longer send students to two national STEM programs, due to the events being sponsored by major weapons manufacturers.
The Friends' School in Hobart is the world's largest Quaker school with about 1,300 students — and Australia's only Quaker school.
It has scrapped its involvement with the National Youth Science Forum and the Science Engineering Challenge, which both offer opportunities for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The science forum is sponsored by Lockheed Martin Australia, while the engineering challenge is sponsored by Boeing.
Friends' School principal Esther Hill said the institution had "become aware" of the sponsorships and "decided to take action" to align with the school's peaceful philosophy.
The school's website says it is based on "fundamental values such as the intrinsic worth of each person, the recognition of 'that of God' in everyone, the desirability of simplicity and the need to establish peace and justice".
It states "core Quaker values" informing it are simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and earthcare.
"Our students have loved being a part of those events, and so the stance that we're taking is not about their involvement in those events," Ms Hill said.
"We have pretty clear policies and guidelines in education about sponsorship — we wouldn't want to see fast-food companies or tobacco companies, or alcohol companies, or companies that produce guns, for example, sponsoring school programs and school events.
Ms Hill said the school had "always stood for peace" and cited the role of weapons in major world events including Israel-Gaza, Russia-Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war, and World War II.
"We recognised 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki … which saw such mass destruction on the back of using these weapons which are being manufactured," she said.
"And we are still seeing across the world, not only in Gaza but in other places, we're seeing these weapons being used to destroy communities and to take lives and to cause all sorts of destruction.
"So we feel there is very little, in many ways, here in this little corner of Australia that we can do and this is one way that we can stand up for what it is that we believe — which is that weapons manufacturing and production and sale is contributing to that problem."
Ms Hill said the school's Board of Governors recently approved a policy which meant its students "would not take part in activities that are sponsored by, affiliated with, or promote military organisations or weapons companies".
Teachers for Peace, a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of promoting "peace and disarmament", said The Friends' School was the first Australian school to make the move.
Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian governments have altered their policies to tighten restrictions on the weapons industry sponsorships or partnerships in schools.
Last year, the Australian Education Union condemned the growing affiliation between Australian STEM education programs and global weapons corporations.
It cited a report by the Medical Association for Prevention of War which identified 35 Australian STEM programs in 2022 affiliated with weapons companies, up from 27 the previous year.
In May, the union's Northern Territory branch passed a motion which called for the state's education department to prohibit programs that are sponsored or partnered with companies promoting or manufacturing weapons from being run in schools.
Ms Hill said the Friends' School had written to Lockheed Martin and Boeing and the two programs and received "varied responses".
She said educational institutions running programs for students had a responsibility to seek sponsors that are more appropriate for schools.
"I think schools should be developing an awareness of the programs that they're involved in and who's sitting behind those programs," Ms Hill said.
The Science and Engineering Challenge is a nationwide STEM outreach program presented by the University of Newcastle in New South Wales.
The program is in its 25th year, with last year's event involving nearly 25,000 students from almost 900 Australian schools.
The National Youth Science Forum began in 1983 and runs programs nation-wide and overseas offering students STEM experiences and opportunities.
Its flagship program encourages young people entering year 12 to take up the subjects, with the website stating it has drawn more than 15,000 students.
Both programs have been contacted for comment.
Lockheed Martin and Boeing have also been contacted for comment.
