Tim Rice outraged as schools change the lyrics to Joseph

SIR TIM RICE has criticised “moronic” teachers who changed the lyrics in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor

Dreamcoat from “Children of Israel” to “Children of Kindness”.

The lyricist, who collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the musical, said the change was a “bonkers” attempt to be “politically correct”.

The song Close Every Door, sung by Joseph in jail, includes the lyrics “Children of Israel are never alone, for we have been promised a land of our own”.

Speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival, near Salisbury, Wilts, he said he had found out about the change made by a group of schools in Wellington, New Zealand, via Twitter.

“They were obviously being politically correct or something. I only heard about it because someone tweeted me and said, ‘Did you approve this change?’ I said I did not. We came down on them like a ton of bricks. They said they wanted to make it easier for the children. I thought the point of teaching was to teach children to cope with hard things in life. This was moronic.”

The schools have said they will reinstate the correct wording.