Theologians to Minister of Education: Current religious education books should be withdrawn from schools

Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameus

The National Union of Theologians (NUT) sent a letter to Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameus, with a simultaneous notification to the Deputy Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Sofia Zacharaki, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and the Holy Synod of the Church of Crete.

The Union requests to withdraw all the curriculum related to the annulled decision of the former Minister of Education, Kostas Gavroglu, regarding religious education.

The Theologians also call for a decision to re-print the books in force before 2016 and distribute them to schools.

Moreover, they request to begin the process of drawing up a new curriculum and new school textbooks for religious education, as well as to give new instructions to teachers who teach this subject at school.

As they typically address the Minister, “In the same way you have implemented the Independent Personal Data Protection Authority’s decision not to include religion and citizenship in secondary education diplomas, implement the aforesaid decisions of the CoS regarding religious education too.”

They also point out that the curriculum of religious education is a very serious matter and it is necessary to withdraw from schools the “unacceptable and dangerous,” according to the Archdiocese, “religious education books of Filis-Gavroglu”.