Minister advocates participation of Orthodox church in every school’s education process

November 17, BPN. Over 90 schools and supplementary education centers implement projects on spiritual, moral and family education based on Orthodox Christian traditions and values, Education Minister Andrej Ivaniec has said.

“Every education institution must have these examples,” he told a council coordinating joint projects between the state and the Belarusian Orthodox Church on November 17.

“The Belarusian Orthodox Church’s efforts to educate the youth about morals and spirituality, to preserve the foundations of Belarusian culture are relatable and understandable to state institutions, including the education ministry,” he added.

The law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” says the education system is secular in nature and has no goal of shaping a particular attitude towards religion.

Although the Russian Orthodox Church is dominant in Belarus, at least 24 other denominations are represented in the country. The second largest denomination, the Roman Catholic Church accounts for 15 percent of the Belarusian population in 2017.