.... We talk often, and rightly, of the gender divide, and its effect on generations of young people who grow up just as affected by pay gaps and unequal opportunities as the generation before. But we rarely talk about the faith divide. It is the last taboo; a national scandal that facilitates segregation and fosters the suspicion of outsiders.
So make all state schools secular, and all faith schools – if we must have them – private. Teach the theology of faith – all faiths – and allow children to express themselves through religious dress. But keep religion clear and distinct from decisions over who may attend the local school, and who should be shunned. That, rather than religious discrimination, is the way to a Big Society.
[A COMMENT] A good piece -- religion should have no place within the education of children beyond a purely educational, neutral course on the world's faiths. We don't have schools run according to political viewpoints, so why should we have schools affiliated with religious bodies?
If parents want to have their kids taught their religious ideas and values, then this should be done at their expense and outwith school hours, a private matter. [The Independent] Read more
