INSTRUCTION IN RELIGION

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24389, 16 October 1944, Page 3

INSTRUCTION IN RELIGION

PROPOSALS BY COUNCIL OP CHURCHES REPLY TO TEACHERS’ CRITICISM ' ‘The speech of Mr J. Barnett, Do : minion president of the New Zealand Educational Institute, at Palmerston North, calls for a reply, since it is based on a misunderstanding of the proposals of the National Council of Churches with regard to religious instruction in schools,” said the secretary of the National Council of Churches in New Zealand (the Rev. H. W. Newell) in a statement to “The Press.” ‘The policy advocated by the National Council of Churches rests on two assumptions: (1) that it is the function of the national system of education! to hand down to the coming generation the culture and standards of the community; (2) that these standards and this culture have been based upon tiie Christian religion, and that it is the desire of the people of this Dominion that they should continue to be so based. , “It is to be noted that the proposals make a'distinction between Christian teaching, and individual acceptance of the loyalties that go with faith: It is the teaching alone which it is the function of the school to impart. Faith and the acceptance of its obligations—these concern the Church alone. Council's Proposals ‘The proposals that the National Council of Churches is making to meet this need, can be summarised under five headings, as follows: “(1) It is proposed that the law shall be changed so that religious instruction becomes a full and integral part of the school system. Our chief objection to the Nelson system is that, under it, religious instruction does not become the concern, as it should, of, home school, and church in combination, but is something apart. “(2) There shall be set up local area committees, representative of home, Church and education, under the general control of a Christian Education Department. This controlling authority shall be : responsible for carrying out the. policy, by providing agreed syllabuses and forms of school worship. It shall also see to the providing of competent persons to impart the instruction and provide training courses for them.- Members of the teaching staff will be permitted to take part'in the religious instruction, if they otherwise commend themselves to the controlling authority; no kind of pressure will, however, be put upon a teacher to undertake work of this kind. "(3) Pupils shall not be segregated into denominational groups, since specific denominational teaching will be the responsibility ■ of the different churches. They will be taught m accordance with their class grading. Children whose parenlb, so request may attend classes arranged by the authorities of their-own faith, or secular in-; struction .arranged by the head teacher, during the time of religious instruction. “(4) Where insufficient teachers are available for religious instruction, it is intended that radio broadcasts shall be made available. , “(5) It is suggested that additional cost involved in the provision of religious instruction shall be met not by the State but by the participating Churdh . organisations, and by voluntary contributions. “It is our opinion that this policy meets most of the objections put forward by Mr Barnett and others in the name of those teachers who haye opposed the giving of religious mstruc-. tion in the schools. It remains to Jje added that the policy set forth has been accepted by all the eight churches comprising A the , National Council of Churches; and that the Roman Catholic hierarchy, has been kept fully informed of the* proposals, and has raised mo, objection, from its own standpoint. It follows closely the proposals which have bepn embodied in the recent Education in (treat* Britain." '