ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Catholic schools offer education to Gospel values from which the nation stands to gain

Seoul (Fides Service) - The importance and specific nature of Catholic education emerged recently during a symposium on Catholic education held in Seoul on the theme “Religious instruction in Catholic Schools”, organised jointly by the Korean Pastoral Institute of the Korean Bishops’ Conference and the Korean Catholic Education Forum.
The participants agreed that Catholics schools have every right to include religious instruction in school programmes followed by Catholics and non Catholics with full respect for the religious freedom of the pupils.
Fr Matthias Ri Iong-hoon, head of the Bishops’ Conference Commission for Education said, “religious instruction is a matter of vital importance because it is one of the distinguishing marks of the Catholic school. Parents have the right to choose the education they want for their children and to choose a Catholic school. Moreover we find that most young people in Korea are interested in religion”. He also said the religious instruction should be backed up by good example from teachers living a genuine Christian life.
Fr. Michael Choi Jun-g, who teaches at the University of Korea, said “Catholic education is important not only for Catholics but for the whole country since it teaches values which help to build peace, an upright conscience, balanced personality and respect for the common good. The Church is committed to education because it is a means of fulfilling her mission to serve and love all men and women”. In South Korea the Catholic Church runs 206 kindergartens for 24,386 pupils;10 primary schools for 4,080 pupils and 71 secondary schools for 53,879 pupils. (Catholic Church Statistics 2002)
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/6/2005 righe 27 parole 276)