The Dean of the Faculty of Education, Valerie Sollars, has questioned whether, while fundamental values should be taught in schools, catechesis should be the domain of Catholic schools and Christian doctrine centres.
She was speaking at a national conference organised by the Secretariat for Catechesis on the consultative document on religious education in schools.
At the centre of discussion was the need to tune the teaching of religion to modern times and the distinction made in the consultative document between religious education and catechesis carried out in parish centres.
Teachers of religion in state, Church and private schools packed the ballroom of the Phoenicia Hotel to capacity.
Dr Sollars noted the difference between students in today's society and those of the past. Youths of today learn to start questioning and doubting what they are taught much earlier than youths used to in the past.
She said religion was something that one carried with him or her throughout life and in one's experiences and relationships. In this sense, it was not a subject just like any other subject.
However, although fundamental values should be taught in the family and in schools, when it comes to catechesis one had to see whether this might be concentrated in specific schools for Catholic religious education and in the Christian doctrine centres after school hours. Parents who send their children to the latter places would have taken the conscious decision to bring up their children as Christians.
The document, which calls for a revision in the contents, methods and materials in use for religious education as well for the development of new syllabi and support structures, is paving the way for a national policy to be approved by the bishops of Malta and Gozo.
The conference was introduced by the Archbishop's delegate for Catechesis Fr Rene Camilleri. The document, entitled Religious Education In Malta, Reflections By The Catholic Community, was the subject of a presentation by Adrian Gellel, chairman of the subcommittee that drew it up. Pauline Dimech, who participated in a working group of the local Synod and is a member of Discern's board of directors, said one had to be clear about the concept of religion.
Religious education was not simply education about values, nor moral education. Religious education should primarily be "education in religion", providing the tools for students to appreciate and understand religion.
Referring to the fact that the Catholic religion is considered the religion of Malta, she said the document was bringing the Church's position closer to that held by the National Minimum Curriculum, a courageous step in view of the fears of some within the Church over this step.