13 Oct 2008

Religious instruction to be compulsory in PNG schools

12:10 pm on 13 October 2008

Papua New Guinea's Education Department has agreed that religious instructions should be taught as a compulsory subject in all schools.

The Education Secretary, Dr Joseph Pagelio, said following a State-Church Partnership it has been decided that religious instructions would be taught in schools from elementary to grades 11 and 12 and would be included in the national exams.

The Post Courier newspaper says the new syllabus won't come into force until 2010.

The issue of teaching Religious instruction in all schools stems from the debate about the need to teach moral values to young people amidst growing concerns over bad student behaviour and the breakdown of law and order.