Bega and surrounding centres will be included in a campaign driven by Christian SRE - a volunteer group providing religious education in NSW schools - which will see more than 700,000 pamphlets distributed, complemented by an advertising campaign.

Local area coordinator for Christian SRE in Bega Jenny Weber welcomed the information campaign saying it was a positive opportunity to inform parents about the choices available to them.

“[In 2018] we began offering special religious education at Bega High School with a small but eager group of Year 7 students,” she said.  

“The response has been so positive that we are now planning to offer Christian SRE to children in both Years 7 and 8 in 2019 thanks to the support of staff at the school and local churches.

“The Bega Christian SRE volunteers also host a lunch group which attracts mainly Year 8 and 9 children and that has proven successful while the Bega Valley Public School has SRE and Ethics classes available for parents opting in.”

NSW Christian SRE spokesperson Murray Norman said ensuring parents understood they had a choice was one of the key elements in the ongoing success of SRE in schools.

“Parents can opt-in when they enroll their children however many parents do not know that Christian SRE is an option,” he said. 

“This information campaign therefore is critical because if a child is already enrolled parents have to contact their school and opt-in if they want values and faith-based education for their child.”