ABSTRACT
The role of formal education in the increasingly technological complexity and interdependence of modern societies is undoubtedly an important one. Access to education, once the privilege of a small section of the population, is a basic ‘right’ for all in many countries. In most developed societies children are required to undergo a stipulated minimum period of compulsory schooling. Educationalists might find it easier to develop the curriculum and achieve explicit educational objectives, equality of opportunity and access to the curriculum if children came from similar socio-economic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. Multicultural and antiracist ideas in education have undoubtedly made most people aware of many of the issues facing children and adolescents from minority groups. It is also true to say that such ideas do not seem to have met the challenges that face society in the dramatic changes in today’s world. Religious education is always a controversial issue within the educational system in a plural society.
