Catholic Social Teaching - Jake and Cooper - Concept of Ubuntu - Assessment Answer

Catholic Social Teaching Assignment

Assignment Task

For this assessment you are required to:

1) Read the story of Jake and Cooper

CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT In relation to the story about educating Jake and Cooper, there are a number of Catholic Social Thought Principles that can be related to this story. The first principle of Catholic Social Thought that can be related to this story is the common good. The common good is the foundational principle whose basis is on the understanding of Catholic social thought that individuals are created as social beings, always with interdependence and interrelationships with others (Johnstone, 2014). According to the story of educating Jake and Cooper, a survey conducted found that 68% of parents felt that their children were not receiving adequate support in school. In addition, Neil Cunningham, the principal at Kilberry Valley Primary School, figured that a child with disability, as much as any other child deserved an education and got down to up-skilling the school. The principle of the common good, advocates for the inclusion of children with disabilities in non-special schools. Considering the fact that individuals are created as social beings, their rights need to be experienced within the framework of the promotion of the common good (Johnstone, 2014). This is because the grounds for the common good is the participation of all in society since as the human interdependence grows globally, the principle of the common good adopts an increasingly universal nature and subsequently involves rights and duties with regards to the entire human race (Johnstone, 2014). The principle of the common good also expresses how it is the duty of all to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure that marginalized individuals can become active participants, just like how Kilberry Valley Primary School has done to incorporate children with disabilities in their curriculum. Each and every individual shares a right and a duty to participate in society, together striving for the common good and well-being of all individuals, particularly the poor and the vulnerable. The second principle of Catholic social thought that can be related to the story of educating Jake and Cooper is Human Dignity. Since every human being is made in the image and likeness of God, the dignity of every individual is promoted by the principles of the Catholic social thought (Thompson, 2015). According to the story of educating Jake and Cooper, research shows that one out of every four children with disabilities in Australia has been turned away from a school. This is simply because these children are different are, therefore, discriminated against due to their states of disabilities. The foundation of the human dignity principle is understanding that each and every individual is created in the image and likeness of God and is as a result worthy of respect as a member of the human family. Each and every one is expected to respect all individuals with the sense of respect and admiration that accompanies all that is sacred and holy. The Catholic tradition teaches that every human individual is sacred from conception to death (Thompson, 2015). In addition, the Catholic tradition also believes that those who are marginalized, vulnerable, or weak deserve special respect, more specifically for those who are unborn, elderly, disabled, or dying. Whether the dignity of a human individual is enhanced or threatened, is a key measure of every institution (Thompson, 2015). Discrimination is one factor that threatens the inherent dignity of each individual. According to the story of educating Jake and Cooper, Kilberry Valley Primary School is one of the growing numbers of schools in Australia that support inclusion of children with disability in their curriculum and do not discriminate them on the basis of their disability status.

The third principle of Catholic social thought that can be related to the story of educating Jake and Cooper is the principle of the correlation of rights and responsibilities. It is the right of every human individual to be treated fairly and not to be discriminated against (Ashworth & Ryan, 2013). All children including those with disabilities have the right to an education and they should not be discriminated against and deprived this right due to their disability status. According to this principle, it is also the responsibility of all individuals in the society to incorporate those with disabilities in social activities without discrimination. This principle of the correlation of rights and responsibilities emphasizes that every individual has the right to the necessary means of development of life such as food, shelter, clothing, and the social services necessary (Ashworth & Ryan, 2013). Similarly, all individuals have a duty to respect human rights and realize their responsibilities to each other as well as the society at large. Children with disabilities in Australia have the right to be enrolled in non-special schools, and in addition, schools in Australia have the responsibility to up-skill in order to comfortably include children with disabilities in their curriculum.

The fourth principle of Catholic social thought is the role of the government, the government of a country has a positive moral function as a tool to protect human rights, promote human dignity, and develop the common good (Kearns, 2014). In the story about educating Jack and Cooper, in the recent federal budget, the Australian government has increased the amount of money set aside for states to allocate to students with disabilities from $1.2 billion per year to $1.3 billion (Green, 2015). However, the Australian Education Union still insists that this amount does not address the unmet need. According to this principle, it is the purpose of the responsibility of the government to assist its individuals in fulfilling their responsibilities to others in the society. These responsibilities cannot be adequately carried out on a one to one basis in the current complex society. Individuals, therefore, need the assistance of the government to accomplish these responsibilities and promote the common good. In accordance to the principle of subsidiarity, the government should perform its functions at the lowest level possible, as long as they can be performed adequately. Failure to achieve success means that a higher level of government should intervene to offer assistance.

The golden rule which is also referred to as the law of reciprocity is the principle of treating other individuals as one would wish to be treated. It is a tenet of altruism exhibited in numerous human religions and cultures (Johnstone, 2014). In the story of educating Jake and Cooper, Principal Neil Cunningham demonstrates the principle of the golden rule by understanding that children with disabilities need to work with children at their peer level and learn from them too. When individuals relate well with others, they grow and develop well compared to when they are isolated individuals. Considering the fact that all individuals are entitled to dignity and respect since they are created in God’s image and likeness, it follows that there is a fundamental equality among all individuals. Enrolling children with disabilities in non-special schools is a huge positive step towards the growth and development of the children since rejection is a common experience that children with disabilities and their families go through. People in society should treat children with disabilities in a way that they themselves would wish to be treated in.