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Entertainment | Aotearoa

Should religious studies be decided by parents?

Anglican Church Minister, Hirini Kaa believes families need to determine the religious instruction of their children, not schools. This follows a challenge to religious instruction in state schools, which was recently thrown out of court.

At the moment, religious instruction is being taught in around 800 public schools across the country.

However, Anglican Minister Hirini Kaa says families need to be making choices about their faith.

“I think whānau need to be the ones to drive faith within themselves.  I don't think it's the place of the school to tell them what to believe, but I think it's offering the tools.”

Churches Education Commission has approximately 2,500 volunteers, who teach bible studies in 650 mainstream schools.

Savannah Petero from Churches Education Commission says, “We have 60,000 children that participate in religious instruction at the moment, so parents regard this as valuable and they would like it in schools. The curriculum is written in New Zealand context, so we celebrate local heroes, and we tell stories about Māori. It's specifically for our children here.”

Last month a challenge by Auckland father Jeff McClintock, against the Attorney-General and Red Beach School, alleging the school discriminated against his daughter's rights to freedom of religion, was overthrown.  He will seek to appeal this.

“We'd like a clear determination as to whether imposing Christian prayers on children in a public school is against their human rights or not, we believe it is against their rights. Christian prayer and religious instruction”, says McClintock.

Kaa says, “They need to understand what their role is, and then how they can support whānau making their own decisions.”

Hirini and Jeff expect other parents will come forth with their concerns about religious instructions in schools in the future.