RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27501, 8 November 1954, Page 12

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

PREPARATION OF NEW SYLLABUS

CHANGE NOTED IN PUBLIC ATTITUDE (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 6. Confidence that many of the difficulties felt by educationists about religious instruction in schools would disappear when a new syllabus of instruo tion was produced in a few months’ time, was expressed by the secretary of the New Zealand Council for Christian Education (the Rev. J. D. Grocott) in an address to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand in Wellington. With the chairman of the council (the Ven. Archdeacon Gordon McKenzie), Mr Grooott was welcomed to the Assembly by the Moderator (the Rt. Rev. D. N. McDiarmid). Religious instruction in schools was now looked upon differently, he said. This had arisen partly from the report on juvenile delinquency, partly through a new realisation of the impact of the Christian, faith on the whole of life; partly because the leaders of both main political parties had expressed their interest and concern io the Christian basis of civil life. However, the main reason might have been a new recognition of the dreadful effects of the divorce between religion and morality, said Mr Grocott. The increasing number of schools imposed *an increasing burden upon ministers and others giving instruction in schools, Mr Grocott said. He knew of some ministers who taught as many as 10 different school classes. Mr Grocott’ said he hoped that it might be possible to extend the teacher exchange system to include reugrou* specialist teachers from Britain. There was also a need for New Zeaiana teachers to take post-graduate training in religious teaching. He considered it would be an important step if religious Jcnowleage could be included among the optional subjects for the university examination, said’ Mr Grocott.