Religious education in state primary schools: the case of Catalonia (Spain)

Abstract

In a pluricultural and multi-religious world, with high levels of social secularisation, the role of religious education in schools (especially in state-funded schools) has inundated political and academic debate throughout Europe, which is becoming increasingly more committed to integrating, non-confessional models. In this context, it is essential to analyse how religious education is managed in countries whose relationship between state and religion is still firmly rooted (as is the case of Spain), and what the action of schools and families is in contexts where confessional religion is maintained in schools. Based on a quantitative study of 380 representatives of primary school management teams, it is seen that one in four schools does not teach any type of religion, either due to a lack of demand from families or because the school chooses not to do so. In addition, the study shows the practical limitations of the confessional model to provide a response to the religious and secular diversity of our time, as the implementation of minority confessions is very scant while there is a primacy of the catholic confession in the religion subject.

Keywords:

• Religious education
• confessional model
• primary education
• Spain
• Catalonia

Notes

1. With regard to the number of students necessary for religions to be offered in schools, the starting point is that all students requesting it have the right to receive Catholic, Evangelical, Islamic or Judaic religion teaching, although it does not always appear to be this way in practice. For example, the same as in other laws and regulations, the Constitutional Educational Quality Improvement Act (LOMCE 2013) does not indicate the minimum number of students and it appears that it is being resolved more on the basis of the requests and the attitudes of the different administrations than due to the existence of any clear regulations in this respect.

2. The Royal Decree on Basic Teaching in Primary Education (https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2014-2222), which establishes the curriculum for this level of education, defines three themed areas in the ‘social and civic values’ subject: identity and dignity of people; understanding and respect in interpersonal relations; and coexistence and social values.

3. https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2015/02/24/pdfs/BOE-A-2015-1849.pdf

4. With regard to the presence of minority religions in schools, consult Tarrés and Rosón (2009), which, among other issues, highlight that neither the Evangelicals nor the Muslims had a suitable text book until the 2006–2007 academic year.

5. The aim of the tutorial is to contribute to the students’ personal and social development in intellectual, emotional and moral aspects, in accordance with their age, and it involves the individual (based on personal interviews and continuous assessment) and collective monitoring of the students by the teachers.

6. Philosophy 3/18 is a project aimed at reinforcing the students’ ability to think based on philosophy as the fundamental discipline. It is carried out between the ages of 3 and 18 and aims to reinforce their capacity for thought and make students more aware of the wealth of the intellectual heritage received and prepare them for life in a democratic society.