No students forced to learn Bible: Bengaluru school on allegations

Bengaluru: The management of Clarence High School told the media on Thursday that the school is not forcing any students to study Bible but instead teaches moral education using stories from the holy book, The News Minute reported.

The school's statement comes out after allegations against it that it imposed the Bible on students.

School Principal, Jerry George Mathew, said that since the school started, it has taught students moral values from the Christian texts. The school started educating Christians first in 1914 and later included members of other religions, and it believed that teaching honest stories is essential for children, Jerry said. Nearly 75 per cent of the students there are from Christian families, and students of other faiths were admitted only with their complete understanding that they were joining a Christian school, he added. According to him, the moral classes are not compulsory for non-Christian students.

He further said that any declaration sought from the students at the time of admission is only as per law. Regarding the statement government issued a show-cause notice to the school over the issue, the principal said that further actions would be carried out by consulting their legal counsel. He added that the school might consider the clause in application forms that mandate students to carry the Bible.

A controversy had started after the Hindu Janajagriti Samiti questioned the clause that mandates carrying Bible. The group argued that such a clause violates Article 25 of the Constitution, which deals with freedom of religion.

Meanwhile, alumni from the school argued for the institution, saying that the practise had been going on for years, and the school explicitly stated that it is a Christian minority institution.

Archbishop Father Peter Machado responded that the allegations hurt them.

In the meantime, Education Minister BC Nagesh claimed on Wednesday that Bible and Quran are religious texts, but Bhagavad Gita talks about the value needed to lead life. His statement was in the backdrop of the state government's announcement to introduce the Gita inside the state syllabus. The Archbishop responded that one could not make a difference between religion and morality. The education minister wants to add more principles from Gita into the syllabus, regarding which the Archbishop have no problem, but textbooks for moral science must include principles from Bible too. The Archbishop also dismissed allegations of forced conversions.

When asked about the pressure Christians face in Karnataka, the Archbishop said he doesn't think Christians are in "fire" there since they have a strong government. The government is the state's caretaker, and when it is doing its job well, there is nothing to fear. There are problems because of some extra-constitutional groups, he said.