A school in Chongqing, China has dropped optional courses on the Bible amid debate on whether the “literature class” breaches education laws.

“Our intention was good in the first place, aiming to diversify students’ knowledge and improve their characters by comparing Western and Eastern literatures”, said Deng Xiaopeng, the vice-principal of the Affiliate Middle School of Southwest China Normal University, Xinhua reports.

“But some thought the course was preaching religion to our students, who are teenagers and have not made up their own minds about values and the spiritual world.”

Deng said the school was told to eliminate the class to avoid exerting an unsolicited religious influence on the students.

As part of a national reform of curriculum, the school began offering 26 optional classes on subjects ranging from poetry to philosophy to logics and math. The goal is to make better use of teachers’ talents and knowledge.

A class on religious literature, containing spaces for 50 students, has proved particularly popular. So many students, in fact, have shown a desire in taking it that applications have had to be rejected, according to a report by Chongqing Morning Post.

SOURCE

Optional Bible learning dropped amid controversy (Xinhua)

School in China drops optional Bible classes (Indian Express)

PHOTO

Bible Society of NSW