The following article was carried in The Independent on Friday 21 December 1990.

A letter to the editor in response was printed on 28 December.

--RKW

Sect 'has no right to veto school TV'

THE EXCLUSIVE Brethren, a religious sect whose strict code forbids the watching of television or computer screens, have no right to withdraw their children from lessons in which TVs or videos are used as teaching aids, Tim Eggar, Minister of State for Education and Science, emphasized yesterday.

Some schools allow Brethren children to absent themselves from lessons when a conflict with their beliefs arises. But Mr. Eggar told MPs there could be no "opting out" of the teaching of information technology -- a compulsory subject in the national curriculum.

"We must ensure all children in maintained schools get a through and relevant preparation for their working lives," he said in a short adjournment debate. "It is vital that young people are fully aware of and competent to use information technology."

The 15,000-strong sect believes television and radio to be the work of the Devil. They do not share meals with non-believers, or use computers and they restrict their reading material. Nor do they vote.

The Brethren's concern was raised by Robert Hughes (C, Harrow W). He contrasted the "helpful" attitude of some schools and authorities, such as Humberside, which allows children to leave the room when a video is to be shown and follow up that work by text book, with others who he said had been "patronising, insensitive and high-handed".

"If these children were black or Asian, some of the remarks in these letters would contravene the Race Relations Act," Mr. Hughes said. The Brethren had been told their "interpretation of the Bible" placed undue demands on school resources. One headmaster in Suffolk wrote saying there was "no point in discussing the matter further".

Mr. Eggar hoped schools would adopt a "friendly and helpful" approach to the Brethren and not "trample over other people's beliefs". But he emphasised that while there has been a long-standing right for parents to withdraw children from collective worship, there was no right to withdraw pupils from the secular curriculum.

"Parents cannot exercise a right of veto by withdrawing their children from particular lessons if they disagree with the teaching methods used in those lessons," he said.

December 28, 1990, Friday

Letter: Devil's work

From Mr A. N. CONNELL

Sir: You report ("Sect 'has no right to veto school TV'", 21 December) that the Minister for Education denies the right of children of the Exclusive Brethren to be withdrawn from information technology lessons, since they constitute a vital part of the national curriculum.

In 22 years of teaching, I have never encountered one of the Brethren; yet I sometimes feel that I could give credence to their belief that computer VDUs are the work of the Devil. As to the origins of the national curriculum, my only lingering doubt is the feeling that the Devil surely isn't such an ass as all that.

Yours sincerely,

A. N. CONNELL

Appleby-in-Westmorland,

Cumbria

21 December

Legal Notice: The administration of this website was taken over about  September, 2004  by Med Trans 1, Inc.. The content on this site was the work of the late Jan Groenveld, and as such, Med Trans 1, Inc. is not knowledgeable about the specific content presented on this website, nor is responsible for any inaccuracies that may be discovered.

We wish to be fair to all parties involved, and there is no intent whatsoever to present inaccurate in formation.  Therefore, if any group or individual feels that information presented on this site is inaccurate, please contact us. If the information is proven to be inaccurate, it will be either changed or removed upon receipt of verifiable proof being supplied to us. Verifiable proof is defined as a disinterested source independent of your group such as newspaper, encyclopedia, public records and similar sources. 

Any group or individual who wishes to supply a rebuttal to any information presented on this site may do so at any time. The length of the rebuttal is to be no more in length (number of words) than the article or material being rebutted. The rebuttal is to be within an e-mail and not as an attachment. E-Mails with attachments are automatically deleted unread due to the large number of virus attacks we received in the past.

Literature, books etc. mailed to us will  be discarded unread unless we specifically requested the materials. Those who send mail that is abusive in nature or combative, will not receive a response from us. Nor will any article be debated or extensive discussions be engaged in regarding an article published.      

Any problems with the website, please contact the webmaster