Religion in School

Churches and Mosques Moved to Schools

AIM Skopje, 7 September, 1999

Instead of pupils, the main stars in the beginning of this school year were the priests. Orthodox priests and khojas were saying prayers in all elementary schools in Macedonia on 1 September. The religious ceremonies were identical with services held in churches and mosques, with the only difference that the "congregation" this time consisted of the puzzled pupils.

The organiser of this religious performance was the minister of education Nenad Novkovski who decided on his own that the first school day should begin with the blessing of priests. The schools learnt about the minister's decision just two or three days before the beginning of the school year. Nevertheless, the obedient school directors, mostly appointed by the will of the minister, did not ask too many questions. They hurried to engage priests and hodjas.

The minister himself condescended to be present at this experiment with his daughter in Ljuben Lape elementary school, where no less than five priests chanted in his honour.

Introducing religion into schools in Macedonia may be a very subtle question since it is a multiethnic state in which the citizens belong to various religions. This especially refers to schools where Macedonians and Albanians, the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Muslims, learn in the same classrooms. That is why in such multiethnic schools, it was organised that they be blessed by both priests and khojas.

By the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia religion is separated from the state. But minister Novkovski claims that his decision is in harmony with the Constitutional principles of freedom and right to practice religion. It is his intention to introduce religion into schools next year, and Macedonian Orthodox Church whole-heartedly supports him.

One of the authors of the Constitution of Macedonia, professor Vlado Popovski declared that the decision of the minister deviates from the principle of secular civil democracy in the state. "Principles of the Constitution and the character of the political system in general, and in this context of the social and the educational system, do not imply introduction of religion into schools", says Popovski. "This move of the minister opens the door for introduction of religion into sub-systems of the state", says one of the authors of the Constitution of the Macedonian state Vlado Popovski.

Popovski especially stresses the specific Macedonian situation of multi-ethnicity and different religions. "It is practically impossible for every pupil to get spiritual instruction in his/her own religion in view of the cultural standards and the level of experience of other religions", says Popovski and warns that this could lead to additional confrontation inside the school communities. "Civil, cultural and religious tolerance in this region is not on the European level and that is why I fear the ideas of minister Novkovski". declared professor Vlado Popovski.

The religious beginning of the school year openned a public polemic among Macedonian intellectuals. Ljubomir Cuculovski, professor of philosophy, declared that prayers should take place only in temples. He accused the Church of persistently violating the principle of secularity. "What would it be like if atheists started going to temples to lecture about their ideas over there, allegedly in order to save the believers from their delusion", Cuculovski wonders.

Sociologist Mirjana Najceska qulifies the idea of the minister as contrary to the Constitution because it leads to intermingling of religion and the state, that is, to canonisation of state schools.

The public reacted in various ways. Some believe that the idea is acceptable, and others condemn it because they think that this was manipulation children.

Parents who were inquired that day by Macedonian media also have different opinions. Some think that at the time of Internet priest's blessing was pure nonsense. Other think that this is not bad because they themselves are believers. A grandmother who had taken her first-grader to school, said in the TV poll that this was done in other countries and that she did not see that children over there were worse off than ours.

Reactions of atheist parents were the sharpest; they said that they did not wish anybody in the school, through the state system, influence the development of their children's minds. "My child was not christened because I believed that it should do it on its own when it grows up and when it is sufficinetly mature to make its own choice", one parent said, disagreeing with the idea of religion being imposed on the children when they are very young, but in favour of offering children full freedom of choice.

Even some believers reacted sharply: "It was not like this even at the time of the Turks or the time of unbelievers", said an elderly lady. "It seems to me as if the Church is coming to the people, and it is known that the people have always gone to Church".

The first-graders were excited the most. Some of them expressd the excitement of the first day in school in a single sentence: God came to us in school today. In any case, TV live coverage from the central performance where the minister of education was with five priests appeared very funny. The lady director of the school crossed herself repeatedly, the minister posed with his daughter in front of cameras and gave statements, priests were chanting for half an hour like in church and anointed the confused children. Pupils were laughing, teasing each other and wondering at the unnatural situation in which instead of meeting their teacher first, as their parents had told them they would, they first met the priest.

It seems that the best answer was given by a students of the upper grades who to the question of TV journalist about the novelty in Macedonian education laconically replied: Why not if we miss at least one lesson".

AIM Skopje

GORAN MIHAJLOVSKI