Principals leader says religion rules unworkable

Laws restricting religion in primary schools are impractical and unworkable, New Zealand Principals Federation president Pat Newman says.

Under new guidelines on religion, schools will be advised that they should seek permission from parents who want their children to take part in voluntary religious activities rather than asking parents if they want their child to be formally excused from such activities.

But Mr Newman today said the current laws were impractical and the guidelines created a "minefield" for schools.

>> Send us your views

"I can see a whole lot of holy arguments developing in schools around this," Mr Newman told National Radio.

"It's impractical and the law is an ass around this. I think the ministry should have come out and said 'look there are problems around the law as it stands and something needs to be done about it'."

Many parts of New Zealand culture involved aspects of Christianity, which could be seen as religious. An example was the national anthem, which could be taken as a prayer.

Mr Newman said in schools with a high proportion of Maori students, parents expected there would be karakia.

He acknowledged the ministry guidelines were only advice and schools were free to make their own decisions, but he believed the ministry should have moved to resolve contradictions in the law.

"The whole thing is a minefield and really what needs to be looked at is how we can make this work."

Under the new guidance, making students "opt out" if they did not want to do a religious activity could place pressure on them to take part and be seen as discriminatory under the Bill of Rights Act.

The advice will also reiterate that religious education and observance are illegal in primary and intermediate schools' normal hours under the 1964 Education Act.

Since 1877 such activities have only been able to take place on a voluntary basis, when normal classes are closed.

Education Ministry senior manager Martin Connelly yesterday told a parliamentary committee that in most circumstances prayers and Christian-based karakia also breached the law and the guidelines would remind schools of that.

- NZPA