“The role of school and religions”

Teaching of religion in school and fight against radicalism: for now it seems a taboo subject. Yet after the attacks in Paris, Europe is wondering what schools are doing and what could be done to encourage and promote a culture of encounter among young people. The debate is open: in France, the Minister of Education has announced specific formation of teachers on secularism and citizenship. In Belgium, many are asking to abolish religion classes to replace them with lessons in philosophy and citizenship. However, in Luxembourg the current courses on religion or moral education will be replaced by a course on “education to values”. Maria Chiara Biagioni interviewed Michael Kuhn who is on the staff of COMECE (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, based in Brussels) and follows the issues related to education, culture and youth policies. Is it also the fault of schools and of a cultural void if radicalism allures young Europeans?  “The answer would require an articulated reflection. I could answer: yes and no. And for several reasons. If we look at the places where radicalization takes place and where its threat is felt the most, the answer is that radicalization has a grip on young school dropouts.  A large number of young people have left school at a very early stage; others fail to finish the process of education. These youths hardly manage to enter the job market. They are marginalized youths and this leads them to be the primary targets of radicalization because to them fundamentalist ideas are a form of safety and security which give them idea they can be someone important, a just cause to fight for.” What can the school do at this point?  “The first thing is to try to do the best to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils continue their studies. The other aspect of the problem concerns the inner front: what can be offered? If these young people fail to see education as a point of reference they will feel increasingly marginalized. It all involves the same challenge.” Indeed, so what should be taught? “There is a large debate in this regard. It is the common desire of parents that children receive accurate information about other religions in the light of the fact that European societies are increasingly pluralistic and we are increasingly confronted with the presence of people of other faiths and cultures. If you look for example at the education system in France, we see that it is based on neutrality, on the assumption that religion pertains to the private sphere. This approach, however, ignores the fact that people are different and these differences also depend on religious affiliation. They are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu … or have no religious faith. Here lies the challenge and Europe has trouble dealing with it, even though it is a priority.” So what should be done?”We should accept the fact that we live in a plural society and that youths should be taught how to behave in a society where people fight against each other, although they nurture different religions and beliefs, share common values, respect the same rights and duties, and jointly contribute to the common good.” What is being done at EU level?  “The educational system is a subject that is handled by Member States and the European Union has no competences on this regard. In some Countries such as Germany for example, the educational system depends on the länder. So it is normal to have different approaches, which also depend on the States’ relations with the Churches. However, the risk is that if we don’t have a good educational system at school, the educational process in terms of the teaching of religion will increasingly be confined to the private sphere, and will be offered in places where it’s hard to ensure effective control. It certainly is an emerging problem not only in France or the United Kingdom. What can be done is to share and exchange best practices implemented in this field among Member States. There should be meetings on what can be done to fight radical fundamentalism and how to educate people to religious tolerance. We can’t share the same programs, but at least there can be a sort of dialogue platform to refer to in order to further tolerance, mutual understanding and openness to other religions.”