The place of religion and spiritual values in New Zealand’s public life is increasingly being questioned, especially when schools are involved. This week, the Ministry of Education announced that it is preparing guidelines on religion in schools which will be sent to all state primary schools by October. The guidelines will not be binding but will set out the Ministry’s interpretation of the law and suggest what practices a school should and should not adopt.

One of the biggest changes proposed in the guidelines is the recommendation that Christian prayers and “Christian-based karakia” should not be permitted at state primary school assemblies, as they may put pressure on pupils to participate. Whilst schools are legally obligated to offer pupils the opportunity to opt-out of religious activities, such as school prayer in assemblies, the guidelines suggest that this may no longer be adequate. They will suggest that any religious activity like this may need to be offered on an opt-in basis, similar to the way pupils have to sign up for a sports team or the school band.

Whilst the Education Act sets out that the “teaching” at a state primary school should be “entirely of a secular nature”, New Zealand amended its law in 1962 to ensure that state primary schools could close any class or the entire school for the purposes of “religious instruction” for up to an hour a week. The law is clear that this is to be voluntary for all pupils. 

The Ministry has stressed that the guidelines are merely advice and that schools still have freedom to make their own decisions. However, former Principal and current MP, Allan Peachey, has said that the guidelines may make it too difficult for schools to continue with religious activities.

This would be a great loss for schools and for New Zealand in general. The proposed guidelines fail to recognise that education is about far more than just facts and figures; it is about developing children into well-rounded and responsible citizens with an awareness of their own history. For millennia, religion has helped society grapple with complicated issues, and its long history has much to offer. Schools need to retain the freedom to reflect their community’s values and uphold their established traditions, including those of a religious nature. Prayer in assembly is, in many cases, an important part of a school culture; reminding pupils of their school’s history and the virtues and traditions that it was built on.