Faith Schools, the Role of Religion in the Society - Coursework Example

Parochial or faith schools were established as well as maintained by the religious organizations, hence the origin of the name, parochial, stemming from the Latin word parish. Since their inception, faith schools have formed an integral part of the British education system. The advent of faith schools can be traced back to the middle ages when the church was the only organized institution that provided education to the vast number of people that littered the British worlds during this time. Before the coming of faith schools, children's education was conducted by the parents.

Only rich parents were able to hire teachers for their children or send their children to good and payable schools. The rest of the poor folks depended upon religious institutions and other religious societies entirely in regard to the provision of formal education and learning for their children. Parents majorly carried out informal education systems back at home. One of the societies in the region that was involved in the widespread provision of education to a vast majority of children across British society was the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) that was established in the year 1698 (Jackson, 2004).

The core function of faith schools such as the SPCK was to instill the morals and beliefs of the concerned religious system. The government completely disassociated itself from the provision of education to its children leaving the responsibility to religious organizations as well as other charity organizations established during that time.The provision of public education was begun after the industrial age after the government and the authorities saw the vital role that education played during the industrial revolution in Britain.

The British government then began to provide education and technical training to her citizens with an aim for steering economic development in the region and beyond. Today, faith schools still exist in Britain and in various parts of the world playing a very vital role in the academic and religious development in children among various societies. However, the existence of faith schools amidst the dominant public/government schools has raised a lot of concerns inviting debaters from every quarter.