#9 - JRL 2009-136 - JRL Home
Religious culture and secular ethics will be taught in Russian schools as experiment
Barvikha, July 21, Interfax - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has offered the teaching of the foundations of religious culture, history of religion, and secular ethics in Russian schools as an experiment.
"I believe it is possible to hold such an experiment in some regions of our country. We are now planning to do it in 18 regions, but this figure may be discussed," Medvedev said at a meeting addressing the issues of teaching religious culture and secular ethics in Russian schools and the introduction of the institution of military and fleet priests in the Russian armed forces.
"Students and their parents should independently choose the subjects," said Medvedev. "It may be the foundations of Orthodox culture or the foundations of Muslim culture, Judaism, or Buddhism. Students and their parents should make independent choices," said Medvedev.
"Many people are likely to want to study all religious life in Russia in its entirety. For such students, a general course in the history of major traditional religions represented in our country may be developed," said Medvedev.
The president also said that people who are not religious should have a right to study the foundations of secular ethics.
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