A Texas education panel has approved plans to make Bible stories mandatory for all public school students in the state.

The required readings include Bible passages about Adam and Eve and Exodus, where God speaks to Moses through a burning bush. English classics such as Charles Dickens's Great Expectations are also included in the required list.

Critics say the new reading requirements infringe on religious freedoms and blur the separation of church and state.

The Republican-controlled State Board of Education voted for the measure, which covers over five million public school students, although it doesn't come into effect until 2030.

Last year, Texas became the largest US state to require classrooms to display the Ten Commandments - a set of biblical laws some Christians believe God mandated for humans.