RUSSIA
RELIGION NEWS|
|
|
Links
to Useful
Information |
On 28 August the Ministry of Education distributed a report that the Russian Ministry of Justice had registered the order from the Russian Ministry of Education of 1 July 2003 "On granting to religious organizations by state and municipal educational institutions the possibility of teaching children religion outside the framework of the educational curriculum ."
"This order does not provide for any kind of innovations but it gives information to educational institutions and clarifies what was formulated in the federal law 'On freedom of conscience and religious associations,' that was adopted in 1997, namely, the possibility of conducting classes on religion in educational institutions by the efforts of religious organizations. In doing so the teaching may be conducted only outside of the school educational curricula, at the request of parents and with the consent of children in accordance with article 5, point 4 of the law," a report of the press service of the ministry said.
In connection with this, today a group of public leaders and rights defenders sent an open appeal to the Russian Minister of Education Vladimir Filippov titled "Clericalization of the schools is illegal."
"We cannot be satisfied with the response from the Department of Public Education of 12 August to the June appeal to you from participants of the 'Common Action' initiative group on questions of introducing into the educational process both editions of the "'undamentals of Orthodox Culture' (A.V. Borodina, S.B. Romanov) textual resource, or on the whole with the clericalization of state education," the appeal says. The writers note that they have information that these resources have not been recommended by the Federal Expert Council. However it is stated in these resources that they are recommended by the Coordinating Council for Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and the Moscow Patriarchate of RPTs, a structure that was officially established by order of the Russian minister of education on 1 July 1999. "Members of this coordinating council include representatives of the leadership of your ministry, including your assistant. Such a council cannot be just a purely public expert agency. Besides, by giving a public stamp of 'recommended' to a textbook that has not undergone official expert analysis the coordinating council has clearly gone beyond the limits of its advisory responsibility defined by the regulations of its creation. According to the regulations regarding its activity, the council may recommend a textbook only to the Federal Expert Council, but not to the consumer," the writers of the appeal stress.
"The contents of this textual resource, according to official annotation, are 'recommended' for use not only in elective teaching but also in teaching of basic disciplines. This is why we called you to publish a special order about the impossibility of using Borodina's textbook in the educational process in state schools in any form," they note further. "We emphasize that we consider it impermissible that a monopoly on informing pupils about the history and ideology of the church should be granted to religious organizations. Basic notions about religion should be formed on the basis of a modern scientific view of the world and common human and humanistic values, as required by Russian legislation. It is also unacceptable to us to create unilateral privileges in the form of providing school premises for only one category of public organizations, namely religious associations that have permanent registration," the writers of the appeal declare.
The latter condition was confirmed in the 1 July 2003 order from the minister of education. In the opinion of the writers of the appeal, "such a measure in essence is a poorly conceived rejection of the secular character of state schools and is clear discrimination against other religious associations as well as against secular public organizations. Meanwhile, secular public organizations also are prepared to teach school children free of charge their approach to various public problems, for example, questions of protecting human rights, or the values and history of secular humanism."
In connection with this the writers of the appeal find the order of 1 July 2003 to be "contradictory to the constitutional principles of the secular and nonideological state and the equality of citizens before the law," and they call V. Filippov to halt its implementation immediately.
The appeal ends with a request to the minister to receive representatives of the "Common Action" initiative group for discussing the matters that they raise.
The appeal was signed by Liudmila Alekseeva (Moscow Helsinki Group), Mikhail Arutiunov (International Rights Defense Assembly), Andrei Babushkin ("For Civil Rights" public charity committee), Elena Bonner (Andrei Sakharov Foundation), Svetlana Gannushkina ("Migration and Law" network), Lidia Grafova ("Forum of Resettlement Organizations" international public movement), Sergei Kovalev (State Duma deputy), Lev Ponomarev ("For Human Rights" public movement), Father Gleb Yakunin (Committee for the Defense of Freedom of Conscience), and others. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 September 2003)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
The teaching of fundamentals of Orthodox culture in Russian schools may not threaten interreligious peace, but it should be conducted on a voluntarily basis. This was stated Monday, 1 September, by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Galina Karelova during a visit to Moscow school number 1253, RIA Novosti reports. "Concern about this matter is unwarranted," the deputy premier stressed. In addition, she said, "parents themselves and the children should determine which subject they choose as an elective." "When the parents themselves find out what they are being taught, their concerns are allayed," Galina Karelova emphasized.
The vice premier presented the book "Family Chronicle" to the first graders of the school, noting that this book was written in order that children could study the history of their own family. "If you know the history of your family, that means you will know the history of your country, the history of Russia," G. Karelova said. According to the deputy prime minister at the present time 100,000 copies of the book have been printed, which will be presented to pupils of more than 200 schools. "Chronicle" is intended for all children and representatives of all confessions. It was developed with the participation of the church, along with scientists and nongovernmental organizations," Galina Karelova noted. (tr. by PDS, posted 1 Septebmer 2003)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture will not be studied in schools of the capital, "NEWSru.com" reports citing "Interfax." This was reported on 28 August at a press conference by the director of the capital department of education, Liubov Kezina. "We did not support the letter that arrived from the Ministry of Education regarding the introduction of fundamentals of Orthodox culture. Our schools are secular and state supported. Schools are separated from the church," L. Kezina emphasized. She noted that "when a law appears in our land that unites the schools and the church, then the question of teaching fundamentals of Orthodox culture may be reviewed."
The head of the department explained her position by saying that "we cannot introduce Orthodoxy into the schools since we understand that representatives of 150 nationalities live in Moscow and we have people who are not just Orthodox but non-Orthodox also. To introduce Orthodoxy into the schools and stir up people who profess another religion is something that is categorically impossible to do," L. Kezina noted.
At the same time the head of the capital department of education reported that today there are thirty-two schools in Moscow where teaching is conducted in two languages (Russian and the language of a nationality) and thirty-five schools where national languages are taught as electives.
"If confessions want to open schools, then we are prepared to help them do this. But then this would not be a state educational institution," L. Kezina concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 August 2003)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
On 27 August the College for Criminal Cases of the Moscow city court reviewed the appeal of senior prosecutor V.V. Rybalok and ruled to overturn the decision of the Meshchansky district court of 15 July. The case is supposed to be reviewed before a newly constituted court, a "Portal-credo.ru" correspondent reports.
"We had not expected such a decision that was made only on the basis of small details in the text of the judge of the Meshchansky court, who did not take note that the Ostankino prosecutor's office had not rescinded its order that had been found by the court to be illegal," a representative of the "For Human Rights" public movement, Evgeny Ikhlov, told the "Portal-credo.ru" correspondent. In his speech Mr. Ikhlov asked the Moscow city court not to return the case to the previous level and not to overturn the order of the Meshchansky court, since the verification of the fact that the order of the Ostankino prosecutor's office of 30 December refusing to open a criminal case on incitement of interreligious strife had not been the basis of the judicial decision. "The order of the Meshchansky court was constructed on a different basis: that the conclusions of the petitioner had not been assessed," Evgeny Ikhlov stated.
In the opinion of attorneys for the "For Human Rights" movement, it now is clear that the case does not have any judicial prospects. "Apparently it will be more appropriate to try to prohibit the textbook by appealing directly to the Ministry of Education," they note. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 August)
Russia Religion News Current News Items