As a Catholic, it’s pretty sad to see white nationalism creeping into the Catholic education system in Sydney (“The far-right figures teaching students at a Sydney college”, October 2). Whatever its faults, the Catholic Church in Sydney, by word and deed, has always resolutely stood for peace and social justice. This is doubly true of the large Catholic school system which, in my long experience, is both dedicated and successful in turning out good Christians with a well-developed social conscience. On the other hand, if their faculty is any guide, Campion College, which promotes “Catholic values”, seems dedicated to turning out foot soldiers for the tedious culture wars. Tony Mitchell, Hillsdale

Thanks to Patrick Begley for his jaw-dropping report on Stephen McInerney and Stephen Chavura, two academics and pundits who teach at the Catholic Church-affiliated Campion College. Their views are entirely reprehensible in any forum, but to be spilled forth from the lecterns of a Catholic educational institution would be shameful. I noted that questions were asked of the college head, but I would also like to know what the Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, has to say about it. Likewise, Tony Abbott and Gina Rinehart. Patrick Cormack, Castle Hill

By reposting comments from racist online accounts, Campion College senior history lecturer Stephen Chavura appears to endorse the claim that Indians are a “dangerous and subversive foreign fifth column” in Western society. Does he forget that millions of Indians served alongside Australians in the imperial forces during two world wars? Does he forget that they helped to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny? Does he forget the more than 60,000 Indians who died in World War I, and the 87,000 who died in World War II? There were 1358 who fell at Gallipoli alone, meeting the same fate as 8709 Aussies who died there. And what does Chavura think of the many Indian Australians who serve their adoptive country daily in the armed forces and as police officers? Shame on him for stooping so low. Will Thorpe, Haberfield

Loss of trust

Alexandra Smith is absolutely correct when she admits that “by blindly following one another, we are inadvertently eroding trust in our schools and our teachers to educate our children” (“I’ve signed my kids up for tutoring. It’s quite an education”, October 2). With the best of intentions and driven by a desire for our children not to be left behind, Australian parents have been “conned” by an outsourced private education industry, which very effectively uses huge private (and shamefully some public) financial resources to sell the myth that your child must have a private school education and private tutoring to succeed. Parents are paying huge sums of money, which could be better spent on the family in other ways, on an education “con job”. Congratulations to Alexandra Smith for being game enough to put up her hand publicly. Warren Marks, Richmond

Every parent has dreams and wishes of success for their children. Academic, sporting and artistic tutoring can allow children to become more accomplished, but generally involves greater pressure and often cuts into essential free time. Our children’s mental health must come first, and safeguards need to be in place. Parents must look beyond the next exam, game or eisteddfod and allow their children to grow and succeed at their own rate. Comparisons and competition only create anxiety and mental health problems, which have become a worldwide problem for adolescents. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer