THE long-term viability of ethics classes in NSW schools is at risk following a departmental ruling that prevents full-time teachers taking the classes.
As part of the current ethics trial, some of these teachers have been taking the classes, which were introduced as an alternative to religious studies for students in year 5 and 6 at 10 public primary schools.
However, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education said this arrangement would end if the classes were permanently introduced across the state.
''If the trial is expanded, [full-time] teachers will not be able to conduct ethics classes while they are on duty,'' she said.
This ruling would bring the ethics classes into line with the rules governing teacher involvement in scripture classes. It would also place the burden on parents or other groups supporting the ethics classes to finance the teaching of them statewide.
Special Religious Education classes are run during school time but teachers do not generally conduct the classes; they are busy with other duties, such as marking or lesson preparation.
Part-time or casual teachers may teach scripture classes if they have been approved by an accredited religious organisation and if they are not on duty when the class is being taught.
Religious groups pay for scripture teachers or use volunteers to take the classes.
Until the trial, government policy prevented students who opted out of religious education from having any instruction, and specifically no ethical instruction.
In some schools that leaves as many as 80 per cent of students excluded from education for an hour each week.
Dr Simon Longstaff, the executive director of the St James Ethics Centre, which is co-ordinating the trial, had wanted teachers to be ''not excluded from volunteering''.
Earlier this month in an interview on the Sydney Anglicans' website, he said the ethics classes should only be taught by volunteers.
He said the provision of the ethics classes should impose no additional burdens on teachers. However, teachers should be allowed to volunteer but solely in their capacity as a parent or citizen.
Howard Packer, the president of the Rozelle Public School Parents and Citizens, one of the schools that is trialling the classes, said strong community support would sustain any future expansion of the initiative.
''The feedback from parents and students is very positive. We won't allow it to die,'' he said.
The president of the NSW Teachers Federation , Bob Lipscombe, said full-time teachers would be unable to take on the classes because of their existing workloads.
The Minister added that through the University College, the nation hopes to produce religious teachers of high calibre. They will also be specialised in religious studies to teach religious subjects at schools, implemented by the Ministry of Religious Affairs as one of the subjects under the National Education System of the 21st Century, SPN21. As Islamic Religious Knowledge, IRK curriculum and teaching workforce are managed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, it is hoped with more skilled teachers in the religious teaching mainstream, religious education will become a more interesting and favourite subject like some other general subjects.