RELIGIOUS TEACHING IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1163, 26 June 1911, Page 4

RELIGIOUS TEACHING IN SCHOOLS.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S REPORT,, (By Telegraph-Press Association.) Duneo'in, June 25. At tho last meeting of tho General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church a coiniiiitlco was appointed to prepare a' report on •;ho New South Wales system of religious instruction ill public schools, and send down such report for tho consideration of Presbyteries and sessions within six months, tho Presbyteries to consider same and report to tho next Assembly. The report prepared by the coinmitlw is to the. following effect:They approve of Section 7 of the New South Wales Public Instruction Act, and are of opinion that selected passages of Scripture should be used in the. New Zealand public schools as a basis of instruction in morals. That instruction in Biblical history, language, mid'literature should be included in (he course of secular instruction in these schools. That, for these purposes, tho Minister for Education should !>o requested to provide a book or books of selected readings from Scripture, and to authorise their use in the public schools. That the instruction in connection with these books should bo strictly nonsectarian.

The committee do not recommend the uso of the books authorised for use in tho

New South Wales public schools. The committee cannot recommend (ho adoption of the provisions in Section 1" made for religious instruction byvisiting teachers. The. time for secular instruction is unnecessarily restricted to four hours during each day, and the provision that the children of different religious persuasions shall receive religious instruction on different days is unnecessary, and will make for disorganisation of tho secular course, and the weakening of discipline. The committee have it, on good authority, that these provisions are not now enforced in New South Wales.

The committee recommend that, in schools where provision is made for I'eligious instruction by one or imiro visiting religious teachers on one day a week, a period cf not more I ban 45 minutes shall be devoted to the religious instruction of (he children whose parents dc not object to such instruction, and that the necessary class-rooms shall Ik> placed at the disposal of such teachers and children. That, when so desired by (he visiting teachers, children of different i'eligious denominations may be grouped for religious instruction.

A representative conference of clergymen will be held in Christ'church this week lo consider the question ef religious instruction iu tho public schools.