jajpe

i know this is usually a conversation stopper in any company but i would love some feedback on this. i have been wondering about churches in nz and jacqies comments in kiddies thread has prompted this question.


i can't do the cut and paste thing but they are dicussing schools-in oz mainly, and there seem to be no religious assemblies, nativity plays at christmas -that kind of thing.

just wondering if nz is the same. we are a christian family and church is very important to us here - would love to know if anyone has experienced churches on the other side or know anything of religion etc. taught in schools.

many thanks

UDS

Hi Shirley

So far as I can make out, the position in New Zealand is that state schools may offer religious education, but do not have to. In each case the board of trustees of the school takes a decision based on the wishes of the parents.

Some schools are what are callled "state integrated schools". They used to be private schools but have been taken into the state system. They keep their own special character which is usually a religious or even denominational identity. Presumably most of these offer religious education and a religious ethos.

Ordinary state schools, I would guess, are less likely to offer religious education, and presumably do not offer a distinctive religious ethos. If they do offer religious education, it may be a fairly broad, comparative curriculum rather than a spefically Christian one, but I wouldn't assume this. Presumably many state schools offer little or no religious education, but I don't know this, and you should check.

There is an ecumenical organisation, the Churches Education Commission, which provides religious education in schools which opt to offer it. (Whether it provides that in all such schools I don't know, but I doubt it. I would guess some schools make their own arrangements.) It also provides a chaplaincy service. It is made up of eight protestant churches. The Catholic church is involved as an observer. Evidently the regular teachers in state schools do not provide the religious education.

The bottom line, then, is that the position is quite varied. Some schools offer no religious education at all. Others do offer it, but it is provided from outside by the Churches Education Commisson or a similar body, and the regular teaching staff are not involved. Presumably not all of the pupils are involved either, and there are no school-wide religious activities like assemblies. Still other schools - state integrated schools - offer a distinctive religious ethos, with the whole school and the staff involved. And presumably there are also private religious schools - presumably fee-paying.

The moral? If you want a Christian education, choose your child's school carefully. (But you would choose your child's school carefully in any event, wouldn't you?) This probably should be a factor in deciding where to live.

jajpe

thanks for the private messages on his thread. much appreciated.
keep them comin'

jajpe

thanks to UDS too for your really informative reply. i will check out some of that stuff later this evening.