- Many educational agents have claimed for years that the public school should be secular, but the centers are still obliged to offer the subject of Religion. However, fewer and fewer students choose it and in 3 out of 10 public centers no longer teach Religion subjects because there is no demand. In concerted ikastolas the lack of interest is even greater: In 9 out of 10 centers there is no religion.
Data have been published by the journal El Correo. Of the 106,000 elementary and high school students in CAV public schools, 19,703 are enrolled in the Religion subject (18%). The rest focuses on the other optional subject: values for citizenship and society (Primary) and ethics (Secondary). This is a trend that comes from afar: in the last ten years, 25% fewer people choose religion (7,000 fewer students).
Many educators, parents and unions affirm that religion is a subject to be addressed in the private sphere, and that, in addition, leaving the subject of education will avoid school segregation for religious reasons. On the other hand, the Erelgune forum considers that the study of the Catholic religion is fundamental to the “comprehensive training of students” and on 12 November they will be in the Basque Parliament to explain the difficulties they encounter in exercising the Catholic religion in public centers.