CALGARY, AB-Following a prolonged process that included public hearings and a survey of its constituents, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) has approved eight recommendations regarding the teaching and practice of religion in the city's public schools.

"We're not intending to indoctrinate our children," says CBE board chair Lynn Nishimura. "We want them to better understand why their classmates have different holidays and different dress."

Some of the board's recommendations include offering courses on world religions at the high school level and the formation of an advisory panel to consider adding the study of world religions for Kindergarten to Grade 9 students.

The CBE has also been asked to clarify religious education regulations for principals, staff and parents by June 2005 as well as pursue a more explicit focus on character and citizenship education in school-which could allow for religious expression.

Twenty years ago Calgary Logos School and two Jewish schools departed the umbrella of the CBE, leaving the public school system without any schools that promote a faith-based curriculum.

"A number of groups have approached us since then asking why religion is not a part of the curriculum offered by the system," says Barb Kuester, executive director of communications for the CBE.

"We've discovered that many parents expect classes on the basic beliefs of the various religions to be a component of their child's public school experience.

The board…initiated a conversation to determine where the public is at on the matter."

A survey posted on the CBE's Web site revealed more than 70 per cent of respondents supported some level of education with regard to religious beliefs.

In a province where Roman Catholics maintain their own school boards (often called "the separate system"), many Alberta public school districts have a history of offering courses on religion and incorporating religious programs or schools into the services offered to the broader public.

Alberta's School Act (1998) provides for "alternative programs" that focus on a particular language, culture, religion or subject matter to be provided if there is sufficient interest or demand.

Many Calgarians see the CBE's move as a simple affirmation that, like it or not, religion is a significant factor in why the modern world is the way it is.

"Most people would agree that a fundamental knowledge of the basic teachings of the world's major religions is an essential component of a high school education in our post-9/11 world," says Irving Hexham of the University of Calgary's religious studies faculty.

"The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing battles in Iraq are situations that affirm the need for a basic grasp of Christianity, Judaism and Islam [to help students] try to make sense of what is going on in those areas of the world.

"Most of the CBE's recommendations should be welcomed by supporters of a well-rounded public education system.