The Canadian Jewish Congress warned here today against the “pressure” to include religious education in the school systems of the eight Canadian provinces which do not presently have denominational educational systems. It voiced its concern over the “tendency to throw religious instruction into the lap of public education” in a memorandum presented to a Canada-wide conference on education which opened here today.
The CJC, rating that the Jewish community does not feel threatened by this development, said that its misgivings were being aired because it is mindful of the unity of the nation and the ideals of Canadian citizenship. It also stated it was not attempting to “dispute or intrude upon” the denominational school systems of Quebec and Newfoundland.
In another memorandum, on inter-cultural education the Congress suggested that the educators recommend a program of inter-cultural education for Canadian schools. The document further stressed the need for teachers’ awareness of social and inter-group implications of their subject matter.
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