That the Serbian Orthodox Church has been trying for years to fight for a better status of religious education in schools, was confirmed by a recent publication of Patriarch Porphyry on his official Instagram account.
“I am very disappointed with the information that the principals of several primary and secondary schools in Serbia are deliberately discouraging, I would even say preventing students and parents from opting for religious instruction. their names and the names of schools that in that way discriminate against their own students. In any case, we will send an official reaction to the competent state bodies, “the patriarch said.
By amending the law on the basics of the system of education and upbringing, religious education has moved from the status of a compulsory elective subject to the status of a compulsory elective program.
And there is, as they say in the Serbian Orthodox Church – a problem. Namely, the competent authorities, as the representatives of the Church state, by unilateral changes in the rules for forming groups, bring school principals into a situation in which they must deny children the right to choose and change their choices.
Stevan Jovanović from the Committee for Religious Instruction of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac says that the way of forming groups should be as it has been since religious instruction was returned to schools, that it should be valid for both religious instruction and civic education.
“One class is divided into a group for religious education, and a group for civic education, regardless of the number of students. Then you have no problems forming a schedule,” explains Jovanović.
Those who work with children believe that the crux of the problem lies in the lack of understanding of the importance of studying religious instruction and civic education.
“Those decisions concerning religious education are not made with elementary consultations with those who are interested in these two subjects,” points out religious teacher Darko Nikolić.
National Education Council: Quality is what influences choice
The National Education Council says that they have not noticed any problems, they even state that they notice an improved quality of religious instruction.
“I responsibly claim that it is the quality that influences the choice and that we remind that students, together with their parents, are the ones who decide at the beginning of schooling,” points out Vladan Nicovic, a member of the National Education Council.
Ministry: No one is denied the right to choose
The Ministry of Education says that neither students nor their parents have been denied the right to choose. They say that they will act in accordance with the competencies.
Branko Ruzic, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Progress, states that the law clearly defines two elective subjects of equal status, civic education and religious education.
“I do not see that there are any problems. If there are any individual cases, we have always pointed out that we are ready to receive that information and that evidence if there is any, and to take measures in accordance with our competencies,” Ruzic added.
Representatives of churches and religious communities have already addressed the competent authorities with proposals on how to solve the problems related to the conduct of religious instruction in schools and the status of religious teachers.
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