Exemption will be given, according to a new circular, only for reasons of religious conscience
The Ministry of Education proceeded to change the method of exemption from the Religious Studies course for children of all grades……..
According to a circular sent to schools as early as 19 September, any student may be exempted from the Religious Studies course, it is enough to state that he is asking for it for reasons of religious conscience.
To complete this process, according to the newspaper “Daily”, the student must submit the application during the first week of the school year, with a certified signature of both parents.
The regulation came to clarify the issue, for which three consecutive -partly conflicting - were issued- instructions from 2008, which made the lesson compulsory for every child who was officially considered orthodox, based on the logic of the prevailing religion, while forcing those who were not orthodox, to declare it, in order to be excluded from teaching.
The event had caused the reaction of the Ombudsman, since complaints about school principals were reaching him, who were asking for an explicit statement about the religion of parents and children.
The Advocate considered that the confessional - catechetical- it is the nature of the course that mandates the simple exemption without having to state the reason for the exemption, since this would violate the individual rights of students and their parents. The lesson, Nevertheless, it is also mandatory, causing another problem, that of the smooth operation of the school program.
It has been observed for years, the students of G’ High school students to ask for an exemption in the middle of the year so that they don't have to read for another course, given the pressure of the National Examinations. The ministry seems to find the golden ratio with the above circular, which essentially made the course compulsory again.
Source : news.gr
Diligence : NewsRoom Mykonos Ticker