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Nothing wrong in teaching religion: SC

Nothing wrong in teaching religion: SC

Author: J. Venkatesan
Publication: The Hindu
Date: August 2, 2002

The Supreme Court did not agree with the submission of senior counsel, C.S. Vaidyanathan, that moral values and principles of all religions should not be taught in school.

Responding to the submission of counsel for the petitioners, social activist Aruna Roy and two others, the Bench comprising Justice M.B. Shah, Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari and Justice H.K. Sema observed that the teaching of religion in schools by itself was not wrong.

When Mr. Vaidyanathan submitted that religion was being taught in schools in the last 50 years, the Bench observed that the problem is ``we have forgotten religion for the last 50 years. We have been fighting only for our fundamental rights and no attention was paid to duties which flowed through moral values. Should we not start this at some stage?''. Further, the Bench said " that today the situation is totally polluted. How to get out of the polluted situation? It is high time that moral values are taught to children at the school level at the primary age. Unless the basic tenets of each religion is taught, they can never be able to differentiate between one religion and another which is essential for bringing about harmony''.

Counsel drew the court's attention to the fact that emphasis on religion in the new curriculum marked a clear shift, if not reversal, of the national policy of education (NPE).

The Bench, however, noted that ''the core tenets of all religions is secularism and no religion teaches violence. The problem is being caused only by fundamentalists. Some hardcore elements create disturbances for personal gains, otherwise there would not have been any violence''.

Earlier, senior counsel for the National Council of Educational Research and Training,, M.N. Krishnamani refuted Mr. Vaidyanathan's argument that the curriculum had been given a "Brahmanical approach." The arguments will continue tomorrow.
 


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