TANZANIA: Church should Teach Religion and Social Ethics in all Secondary Schools and Universities – TEC Secretary General insists
Sarah Pelaji
The Secretary General for Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) Rev. Charles Kitima has called on the Church to invest in Catholic Church Teaching to young people in universities and high schools.
He insisted on this during the meeting of chaplains and directors of Tanzania Young Christian Students (TYCS) from all the dioceses and universities in the country held recently at TEC Kurasini in Dar es Salaam.
Father Kitima emphasized the need to educate young people who are current and future leaders that if they understand the teachings of the Catholic Social, they will be leaders and citizens of faith and morals.
He also underscored the need for all secondary schools, colleges and universities to have a Social Ethics course so that young people can be of integrity in carrying out their responsibilities.
“We urge the clergy to teach the Word of God to youth, guided by the Holy Scriptures. Young people must understand the word of God as interpreted by the Catholic Church,” he stressed.
According to Fr Kitima, TYCS and University chaplains should oversee the education of young people by being creative in designing various programs that bring them together. These programs provide all the teachings of the Catholic Church on faith and morals. That will help young people to grow in faith and morals, which will be able to defend and manage faith arguments.
“Priests as fathers with theological education, our main task is to ensure that the Catholic Standards and traditions are understood by the youth for they are rooted in the Holy Scriptures. Let them know that the Catholic Church has key documents of our faith that are biblical. They must know in detail the Liturgy of the Catholic Church which is one, respected and used worldwide as one church,” he said .
He emphasized further that if young people who are experts in various fields shall be ethical, they will respect human dignity, for those who will be lawyers they will not formulate policies that degrade human dignity but defend life because a human being is created in the image of God.
“In order to have such leaders we must invest in providing the knowledge of social and religious values in the education sector. The education sector is where the knowledge grows so the Church should use education sectors to impact religious and Social ethics courses in order to prepare young people to be honest and responsible leaders,” he insisted.
He emphasized the importance of the course of Ethics and Religion in secondary schools, saying these courses will enable the society to create citizens who have foundations of justice and peace; truth and honesty; as well as fostering in them patriotism and godliness, fundamental to the spiritual and physical well-being of man.
Fr Kitima also stressed the importance of having chaplains in all universities who will promote faith and morals among youth for on going on formation.
