Is religious education in school important?
Summary
TLDRIn a recent study, it's revealed that many Academy Schools in the UK neglect religious education, with nearly 500 secondary schools offering zero hours of RE lessons. The debate on the importance of RE in schools is highlighted by Dr. Gavin Ashington, a former chaplain to the Queen, and Steven Evans, CEO of the National Secular Society. While Ashington argues for a broader societal understanding of religion's role in history and geopolitics, Evans calls for a reform in RE law and suggests a focus on religious literacy and civic education to foster social cohesion and respect for diverse beliefs.
Takeaways
- 📊 A recent study reveals that nearly 500 secondary schools in the UK offer zero hours of religious education (RE) to year 11 students.
- 🗣️ Worthing West MP Peter Bottomley criticizes the lack of RE, describing it as a 'gaping hole' in the school curriculum.
- 🏫 Steven Evans from the National Secular Society suggests that instead of enforcing compliance, the law regarding RE teaching needs reform.
- 📚 Dr. Gavin Ashington, a former chaplain, agrees with the need for law reform but emphasizes the importance of RE for understanding societal and historical contexts.
- 👨👩👧👦 There's a debate on whether the responsibility for religious education should lie with families or be integrated into school curriculums.
- 🌐 Dr. Ashington argues that religion is integral to understanding the UK's history and global geopolitics, particularly Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
- 🏛️ Steven Evans proposes a shift towards a more comprehensive civic and citizenship education that includes religious diversity and freedom of belief.
- 🤔 The discussion points to a broader need for 'religious literacy' to foster social cohesion and mutual respect in a diverse society.
- 🏗️ There's a call for a revitalized approach to education that goes beyond the traditional focus on theology and instead promotes understanding and tolerance of different beliefs.
- 📉 The conversation reflects a perceived decline in the importance of RE and a search for a new purpose that aligns with contemporary societal values.
Q & A
What is the main finding of the new study mentioned in the transcript?
-The new study found that many Academy Schools do not offer religious education, with nearly 500 secondary schools having zero hours of RE lessons in year 11.
What does Peter Bottomley, the Father of the House, suggest about the current state of RE in schools?
-Peter Bottomley suggests that the neglect of RE leaves a 'gaping hole in our school curriculum'.
What is Steven Evans' view on the necessity of RE in schools?
-Steven Evans believes that RE is outdated and unpopular, and that there is a need for reform of the law around RE, rather than forcing schools to comply with it.
What does Dr. Gavin Alington think about the role of RE in providing a wider societal perspective?
-Dr. Gavin Alington agrees that while families have a primary role in religious education, the state should help provide a proper education that gives a wider perspective on society's religious roots and development.
How does Dr. Gavin Alington perceive the resurgence of religion in society?
-Dr. Gavin Alington notes a significant resurgence of religion, contrary to the secularist views of the 20th century, and emphasizes the importance of understanding religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam for understanding geopolitics.
What does Steven Evans propose as an alternative to the current RE curriculum?
-Steven Evans suggests a revitalized Civic and citizenship education that teaches children about religious diversity, political literacy, democratic processes, and fundamental British values.
Why does Dr. Gavin Alington believe it's essential to understand religious heritage?
-Dr. Gavin Alington argues that understanding religious heritage is crucial for comprehending the country's history and cultural context, even if one does not need to quote the Bible chapter and verse.
What is the importance of teaching children about freedom of religion and belief according to Steven Evans?
-Steven Evans emphasizes the importance of teaching children about the freedom of religion and belief to foster respect for diverse beliefs and social cohesion.
What does the discussion suggest about the purpose of RE in modern education?
-The discussion suggests that the purpose of RE in modern education is in flux, with some arguing for a broader understanding of religious diversity and others advocating for a focus on civic education and respect for different beliefs.
How does the conversation reflect the differing views on the role of RE in schools today?
-The conversation reflects differing views on RE's role, with some seeing it as essential for understanding society and history, while others view it as outdated and in need of reform or replacement with a more inclusive civic education.
Outlines
📚 Debate on Religious Education in Schools
The video script discusses the findings of a study indicating that many Academy Schools in the UK are not providing religious education. It is revealed that nearly 500 secondary schools offer no religious education lessons in year 11, and about a third do not teach the subject at all. Peter Bottomley, a Member of Parliament, expresses concern that the absence of religious education (RE) leaves a significant gap in the school curriculum. The debate features Dr. Gavin Ashington, former Honorary Chaplain to the Queen, and Steven Evans, Chief Executive of the National Secular Society. They discuss the necessity of RE in schools, with Evans advocating for a reform of the law rather than forcing schools to comply with outdated laws. Ashington argues for the importance of RE in providing a broader societal and historical perspective, while Evans suggests that a focus on citizenship and respect for diverse beliefs is more crucial for social cohesion.
📢 GB News YouTube Channel Promotion
The second paragraph is a promotional segment for the GB News YouTube channel. It invites viewers to watch live broadcasts, catch up on favorite shows, and engage in discussions through comments. The promotion encourages viewers to subscribe to the channel to receive exclusive content and never miss any updates.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Religious Education (RE)
💡Curriculum
💡Secular Society
💡Cultural Perspective
💡Geopolitics
💡World Views
💡Social Cohesion
💡Freedom of Religion and Belief
💡Civic Education
💡Legislation
Highlights
New study reveals many Academy Schools do not offer religious education.
Data shows nearly 500 secondary schools have zero hours of RE lessons in year 11.
About a third of secondary schools do not teach RE.
MP Peter Bottomley argues the neglect of RE leaves a gap in the school curriculum.
Debate on the importance of religious education in schools and its place in the curriculum.
Steven Evans suggests reform of the law around RE is needed, not forced compliance.
Reports recommend reform of RE due to underfunding and unpopularity.
Gavin Ashington agrees with the need for legislative improvement but defends the state's role in RE education.
Ashington argues for a broader perspective on RE beyond family and cultural perspectives.
The importance of understanding religious roots in history and society.
The resurgence of religion and its impact on geopolitics.
Evans emphasizes the importance of teaching freedom of religion and belief.
The need for religious literacy to understand the world and promote social cohesion.
Ashington highlights the role of religion in understanding one's own history and heritage.
Evans calls for a revitalized civic and citizenship education over a deep theological understanding of religion.
The debate concludes with a call for a broader educational focus on citizenship and respect for diverse beliefs.
Transcripts
our new study has shown that many
Academy Schools don't offer religious
education the data shows that nearly 500
secondary schools have no hours zero
hours of re lessons in year 11 and about
a third ofies do not teach uh the
subject uh Worthing West MP s Peter S
Peter bottomley father of the house of
course uh said the neglect of re leaves
quote a gaping hole in our school
curriculum we're asking is religious
education in school
importance does it deserve that space in
the school curriculum we're joined by Dr
Gavin ashington former honory chaplain
to the queen and Steven Evans the chief
executive of the national secular
society Steven Evans will begin with you
if I may I suppose schools will say some
schools will say it's a very crowded
curriculum we're trying to cram a lot of
information into young minds something's
got to
give well indeed um I I think the the
thrust of the report uh that's been
published seems to be suggesting that
government should tell ofstead compel
schools to comply with the law on re
teaching but what I think's really
needed is reform of the law around Arin
um and not some kind of strong armed
tactics to can force schools to comply
with what is very much an outdated and
quite an unpopular law around re uh re
there's been a slew of reports over
recent years that's been recommending um
reform of re uh it's underfunded it's
unpopular I think it's lacking in a
clear purpose as well so I think we need
to need to look at Ari I think there's
something important in arri but it's
probably not best delivered through a
subject called religious education gav
ashon what do you say to those uh
parents who say look if religion is
going to play a role in my children's
life it needs to come from the family
not the
school Yes actually to my great surprise
I agree with quite a lot of what Steve
said that legislation isn't particularly
good there's always room for an
improvement of it but as to your
question that it should be privatized in
the family well to some extent of course
that's true that that happens there is a
primary responsibility in the family but
the problem is the family are always
going to come from a particular cultural
perspective and what you need is the
state to help provide a proper education
that gives a much wider perspective the
whole of our society is based upon
religious roots and development in
history and to much to everyone's
surprise I think far from religion dying
out which is what the secularists in the
20th thought there been a huge
Resurgence you simply can't understand
geopolitics unless you have a firm grasp
of Christianity Judaism and Islam for
except for example and also secularism I
think part of the problem is that that
the way we use the word religion we're
really talking about World Views uh and
and philosophies so I have no objection
to tidying up the way in which the law
understands the way we educate people
but it's absolutely essential that the
state should provide a proper diet and a
proper education Steph Evans Gavin makes
the point there that you can't really
understand you know you need to dis
demystify other religions if you to have
social cohesion we sort of get that
argument there's another argument which
I want to introduce that you can't
understand your own history if you don't
understand the fact that this this
country was was deeply Christian for,
1600 years you know I remember recently
being surprised that a nephew of mine uh
was watching a film and the Lord's
Prayer was was said and it seemed to be
new to him and I thought well how can
you really understand this country
without a working knowledge of its
religious Heritage you don't need to be
able to quote the Bible chapter and
verse but you you need to know bits of
it well of course religion will
naturally come up in subjects such as
history but I also agree that there's a
real value in teaching children about
religion and belief diversity the
diversity that exists in the UK but also
that exists more broadly around the
world I think you do need a degree of
knowledge of religion and belief
literacy to understand the world around
you and the people that you're living
side by side with but what I think is
actually more important is that we give
children an understanding of the
importance of freedom of religion and
belief the idea that people will hold
different beliefs and we respect their
right to hold those beliefs we respect
their right to express those beliefs and
we respect their right to manifest those
beliefs in so far as they're not causing
harm to society or anyone else so I
think we what we really need is a a
revitalized Civic and citizenship sort
of Education that teaches children about
religious diversity but other things
like political literacy the Democratic
process um fundamental British values uh
the rule of law Justice um you know and
and and just respect and tolerance of
other people's faith and beliefs I think
that's a more important thing for
encouraging social cohesion and
understanding of each other I think
that's more important than a deep
theological understanding of religion
which was AR's original purpose but that
purpose has gone now I think it's a
subject in search of a purpose I think
we need citizenship rather than AR okay
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