Religious education in New Zealand is getting an overhaul next year as part of a wider curriculum refresh to reflect Aotearoa's diverse population.
The Government's decision on the change was based on a report by Victoria University professor Paul Morris.
Morris told AM on Monday updating the curriculum is important because Kiwis need to be informed and aware citizens.
He said currently students aren't taught about a wide variety of religious beliefs and that needs to change.
"There is some teaching under the Education Act which takes place when schools are technically closed, reiterations of the bible in schools program so there is some religious instruction, religious formation - learning about religions traditions that takes place but non-confessional, more objective introduction to diverse religious beliefs and practices doesn't have a very significant place currently within our school settings," he said.
Morris said a better understanding of religion helps young people get on with each other better and promotes more inclusive classrooms.
"Recognition of diverse religious students within the classroom heightens the social cohesion and inclusion of the classroom. So it works at that level but it also works so that one learns about one's fellow students, one begins to understand the other people in one's classroom and one's area and more broadly in the religious diversity of Aotearoa.
"So it operates at a kind of level that promotes a wider understanding of the communities that make up our population."
Morris said knowing about different religions is also important from an international perspective because most of the world follows one of the religions.
"It also has value for understanding the region we are in - the Asia Pacific region which is home to all of the world's major religions, including the world's largest Muslim country.
"And even at a higher level, the geo-political majority of the world's population are adherents of different religious communities… And religion is a point of conflict at different times and places so to be a 21st-century informed and aware citizen requires a kind of religious literacy," he said.
Watch the full interview above.
