1,017 students reject religion classes

The new government is committed to introducing instruction in ethics for the primary and secondary school students who are currently exempted from participating in religion classes.

Official figures on the number of exemptions granted to students in State schools have increased from 867 in 2009 to 1,017 now.

In a clear sign that the numbers will continue to increase, the number of exempted students at primary level (538) exceeds that at secondary level (479).

The primary school in St Paul's Bay, which is known as Malta's most multicultural school, has by far the largest number of students exempted from religion. The number there is 119, up from 101 in 2009. This is more than four times higher than the school in second place, Marsaskala.

Schools with the highest number of religion opt-outs

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Only 50 Gozitan students (5% of the total exempted) were exempted from religious instruction at both the secondary and primary levels.

The introduction of ethics instruction as an alternative for students exempted from religion classes was proposed by the previous government in 2011, as part of the National Curriculum Framework issued for public consultation.

Earlier, a consultation document on the NCF proposed that young people opting out of Catholic religious instruction in schools should be offered lessons in ethics.

And though it could be another step forward to do so, the present government seems not to be considering compulsory ethics courses for all. They are offered in secular countries like Spain, where ethics is compulsory and learning denominational religions is optional.

Asked whether the government intends to extend the teaching of ethics to include all students, a spokesperson for Education Minister Evarist Bartolo replied:

"There is an agreement in principle to introduce ethics classes for those who opt out."

According to the Ministry, the implementation of this principle will fall under the responsibility of the NCF Implementation Review Board.

At present religious education in Malta is compulsory in primary and secondary school, but parents have the right to decide whether their child takes classes on Catholicism or not. Presently these children are not offered a secular alternative and have a free lesson while their classmates study religion. In some cases, students stay in religion class but do not participate.

The 2001 consultation document did not give any details on the curriculum for the new Ethical Education Programme, adding that this will be "developed following discussions with stakeholders."

The development of the programme would fall under the responsibility of the Education Directorate, while Catholic religious education would remain the responsibility of the Maltese Episcopal Conference.

The document recognised that Maltese society is "becoming more pluralistic, like the rest of the European continent."

It also states that "deeper knowledge of different religious traditions" contributes to the "social and civic formation of young people."

Malta is not the only country in Europe which provides religious education and where religion teachers are approved by religious authorities.

In most of Germany, religious instruction is offered as part of the curriculum, but secular students can opt out and follow ethics courses.

Students in most states have the option of religion lessons by Protestant, Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Jewish teachers. Currently the introduction of Islamic religious education is also being discussed.

In Malta, teachers of religion in public schools are paid by the State but are answerable to the Church for the content of their lessons.

From the age of 14, children may decide on their own if they want to attend religion classes.

Left-wing Berlin is an exception to the German rule. Ethics classes were made compulsory in Berlin's public schools after the honour killing of a Turkish woman by her brother in 2006.

A referendum in April 2009 on making religious classes compulsory confirmed that Berlin's citizens had little will to change the status quo. Only 14% voted to make religious education compulsory.

In 2008, the Canadian province of Quebec, long ruled - in politics and public life - by a strong French Catholic tradition, instituted a compulsory course in ethics and global religions.

And in Spain, José Luis Zapatero's leftist government introduced a new compulsory school subject called 'education for citizenship.' Before this, religion and ethics were optional subjects in both private and State schools.