The religious, moral and spiritual dimensions of education: National, regional and international constitutional and legal frameworks

Abstract

The important role which education, in partnership with the family, the public school system, religious communities, and the other institutions of society, can and should play in the religious, moral and spiritual development of children and young adults hardly needs emphasising. Whereas international constitutional and legal frameworks provide a kind of general framework in a protective and regulatory sense, especially concerning individual rights and the freedom of religion and belief, each national constitutional and legal framework shapes the education system more precisely and concretely. The right to education is mentioned in several international declarations and treaties as well as the right of parents or legal guardians to decide about the education, and especially the form of religious education, their child should receive. Often while education is compulsory, schooling itself is not, at least in several Western European countries. The interplay between the family, the religious communities, and non-religious belief organisations and the public school system varies according to the value placed upon various layers in the individual country context. Parental rights concerning school education are protected by international human rights conven­ tions. Parents have also the right - as well as religious and other organisations - to establish private schools as an alternative to public schools. However the general right to found private schools under a specific ethos are dealt with differently in different countries. In general one can say that the place of religion in the public forum is contested especially concerning schooling. Nonetheless in many countries it is a fact that the school system in general has deep connections with religion at least in the past.