2011-03-29 16:10:12

Religion will be studied in all Russian schools by 2012


(March 29, 2011) After a successful trial, religion will be taught in all Russian schools throughout the country next year. The announcement was made by the Russian Ministry of Education and the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate at a press conference in Moscow last week to the representatives of the four major religions. According to authorities and religious leaders, especially from the Russian Orthodox Church, the trial year was a success, but nobody was able to respond to journalists questions with exact figures on the course participants took and the degree of satisfaction. "A large number of students chose courses on religion, said Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, chairman of the Department for the Church's relations with society at the Patriarchate of Moscow. He said that this did not cause any inter-religious conflict, but instead we noticed a change in the morale among the children who attended them.
Banned during the Soviet era, religion made a comeback in schools in April 2010, but only in some regions. The initiative was strongly supported by the Patriarch of Moscow and blessed by the Kremlin, which aims to a cement national identity on shared values . Students of primary and secondary schools may choose to study the history of one of the four traditional religions - Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism, or more general courses on foundations of religious culture or fundamentals of public ethics .
Elena Romanova who heads the Ministry of Education office for the teaching of religion, explained that some problems still remain. She mentioned one regarding textbooks, saying they are prepared with too much haste. She also said that teachers need further training.








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