Religious Education in Belgie: Belgium
RE in the Flemish education system
1. The complexity of the Flemish education system
Most schools in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) belong to one of the three main groups of education authorities:
Each education authority (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic) has its own Advisory and Support Service which revises the curricula, organises in-service training for teachers and supports the schools.
The agreement between religious and humanistic authorities on the one side and the department of education on the other side specifies that the inspectors of religious and moral studies are chosen by the confessional and non -confessional authorities and that they will be added to the official inspector staff. Therefore they have the right to evaluate the practice of the teacher in function of a long term permission and guarantee.
2. The implementation of the new curriculum
Since the beginning of the new schoolyear in September 2005 the curriculum for Roman Catholic Religion (rooms – katholieke godsdienst) is compulsory in Catholic, Community and Official schools. The curriculum made by a team of teachers, inspectors, lecturers of teacher training colleges and the faculty of religious studies of the Catholic University of Louvain received the bless of the council of bishops of Belgium after four years work. We wrote 9.9.1999.
The subject for the diary of the teacher is no longer ‘catechese’ but ‘godsdienst’. This changing of a concept has to do with the diversity of the target groups in the class. ‘Catechese’ is also more linked with the church activities to give more ‘spiritual food’ to the believers. For some children with a Christian tradition the approach can be a surplus to or a support for their personal belief.
3. The framework for religion at school
At the moment there are 3 hours of 50 minutes in primary catholic schools and 2 hours of 50 minutes in community and official schools. Since 2003 the Minister of Education has decided that it is no longer allowed that the regular teacher of the class gives the religion course. Only a person with a special certificate in teaching religion may teach religion. The problem is that the inspection has difficulties to find qualified teachers and that some of them have several schools to realise a full time job. Against this ministerial decision there was no strong protest from the ‘ confessional authorities’ however.
4. The topics of the curriculum (1999)
The new curriculum focuses on communication and participation. The in- service course for teachers promotes new communication media (ICT) and how to use art and story books for children in combination with bibliodrama or philosophy for children.
There are three stages in primary education based on key words: security (geborgenheid),
solidarity or connection (verbondenheid) and growing in strength ( groeien in kracht) . Even the relationship between the pupils is divided into three steps:
More than ever you find the component ‘diversity’ linked with world religion in every textbook. We find not only facts, terms but also relations and in some books the ‘ inside perspective’ ( versus outside perspective) so that people ( and in some cases children) of the own confession introduce the users of the book in their own tradition.
5. The new conditions of using textbooks
Individual school directors and in some cases school communities (sometimes contained more than 10 schools) must implement this curriculum by choosing a textbook for their school or for their region. Three - in the beginning four- publishers brought primary teachers and academic staff together to work out a series of handbooks. At that point there was no intervention of the catholic authorities. The only condition to use a new textbook was that the edition contains a label after an evaluation of two commissions. One commission was responsible for the content conforming the catholic doctrine and the another looked for the validity and the innovation of the methodology. The reason for the installation of these two commissions was an incident in the middle of the nineties where a politician discovered that in one handbook a series of pictures about the relation of parenthood to the development of sexuality was no longer possible in times of sexual abuse (post –Dutroux period) and she asked the archbishop to take a decision .
The difference between primary and secondary is that teachers allow themselves to make their own course book based on the curriculum, their target group and the local context. This a real challenge!
6. A new initiative by the Legal Authorities (2013)
The Legal Authorities refer to the official religious and non -confessional bodies that are in contact with the Flemish Ministry of Education. During the last two years they gathered in several meetings to develop a document that has been recognised by the Flemish Government. The inspectors and experts illustrated the (interreligious) dialogue and the awareness of plurality in schools by means of examples. It is the first step in the cooperation between the several school networks and the Legal Authorities. The title of the document contains the term ‘interlevensbeschouwelijke competenties’. The word “interreligious” cannot be used due to the fact that the non – confessional moral is one of the partners in this alliance. 24 competences were selected and covered knowledge, skills and attitudes. They can be realised in school projects or study trips. For publisher houses it was an occasion to start with a series of new textbooks and to integrate these competences. The curriculum of 1999 is supposed to be maintained for at least a couple of years.
1. The complexity of the Flemish education system
Most schools in Flanders (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) belong to one of the three main groups of education authorities:
- Private or voluntary schools (vrij onderwijs) which can be denominational or non-denominational; the education authorities are the local bishop, congregations or private organisations (Steiner schools, Freinet or Montesorri –movement); most of these are Catholic schools: ± 70 % of the pupils.
- Official schools, which can be denominational or non-denominational; the education authorities are provinces or cities: ± 15 % of the pupils
- Flemish Community schools (gemeenschapsonderwijs), multi-denominational and non-selective; the education authority is called ARGO: ± 15 % of the pupils.
Each education authority (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic) has its own Advisory and Support Service which revises the curricula, organises in-service training for teachers and supports the schools.
The agreement between religious and humanistic authorities on the one side and the department of education on the other side specifies that the inspectors of religious and moral studies are chosen by the confessional and non -confessional authorities and that they will be added to the official inspector staff. Therefore they have the right to evaluate the practice of the teacher in function of a long term permission and guarantee.
2. The implementation of the new curriculum
Since the beginning of the new schoolyear in September 2005 the curriculum for Roman Catholic Religion (rooms – katholieke godsdienst) is compulsory in Catholic, Community and Official schools. The curriculum made by a team of teachers, inspectors, lecturers of teacher training colleges and the faculty of religious studies of the Catholic University of Louvain received the bless of the council of bishops of Belgium after four years work. We wrote 9.9.1999.
The subject for the diary of the teacher is no longer ‘catechese’ but ‘godsdienst’. This changing of a concept has to do with the diversity of the target groups in the class. ‘Catechese’ is also more linked with the church activities to give more ‘spiritual food’ to the believers. For some children with a Christian tradition the approach can be a surplus to or a support for their personal belief.
3. The framework for religion at school
At the moment there are 3 hours of 50 minutes in primary catholic schools and 2 hours of 50 minutes in community and official schools. Since 2003 the Minister of Education has decided that it is no longer allowed that the regular teacher of the class gives the religion course. Only a person with a special certificate in teaching religion may teach religion. The problem is that the inspection has difficulties to find qualified teachers and that some of them have several schools to realise a full time job. Against this ministerial decision there was no strong protest from the ‘ confessional authorities’ however.
4. The topics of the curriculum (1999)
The new curriculum focuses on communication and participation. The in- service course for teachers promotes new communication media (ICT) and how to use art and story books for children in combination with bibliodrama or philosophy for children.
There are three stages in primary education based on key words: security (geborgenheid),
solidarity or connection (verbondenheid) and growing in strength ( groeien in kracht) . Even the relationship between the pupils is divided into three steps:
- I – We (first stage 6-8 years): the formation of a class
- I – You ( 2nd stage 8 – 10 years): the short term- relations with friendship and conflicts
- I – They ( 3rd stage 10- 12 years): the long term- relations with attention to the welfare of the Third and Fourth World.
- Jesus ( 1st stage)
- Joseph and Moses ( 2nd stage )
- Elijah and Saint Paul (3rd stage).
More than ever you find the component ‘diversity’ linked with world religion in every textbook. We find not only facts, terms but also relations and in some books the ‘ inside perspective’ ( versus outside perspective) so that people ( and in some cases children) of the own confession introduce the users of the book in their own tradition.
5. The new conditions of using textbooks
Individual school directors and in some cases school communities (sometimes contained more than 10 schools) must implement this curriculum by choosing a textbook for their school or for their region. Three - in the beginning four- publishers brought primary teachers and academic staff together to work out a series of handbooks. At that point there was no intervention of the catholic authorities. The only condition to use a new textbook was that the edition contains a label after an evaluation of two commissions. One commission was responsible for the content conforming the catholic doctrine and the another looked for the validity and the innovation of the methodology. The reason for the installation of these two commissions was an incident in the middle of the nineties where a politician discovered that in one handbook a series of pictures about the relation of parenthood to the development of sexuality was no longer possible in times of sexual abuse (post –Dutroux period) and she asked the archbishop to take a decision .
The difference between primary and secondary is that teachers allow themselves to make their own course book based on the curriculum, their target group and the local context. This a real challenge!
6. A new initiative by the Legal Authorities (2013)
The Legal Authorities refer to the official religious and non -confessional bodies that are in contact with the Flemish Ministry of Education. During the last two years they gathered in several meetings to develop a document that has been recognised by the Flemish Government. The inspectors and experts illustrated the (interreligious) dialogue and the awareness of plurality in schools by means of examples. It is the first step in the cooperation between the several school networks and the Legal Authorities. The title of the document contains the term ‘interlevensbeschouwelijke competenties’. The word “interreligious” cannot be used due to the fact that the non – confessional moral is one of the partners in this alliance. 24 competences were selected and covered knowledge, skills and attitudes. They can be realised in school projects or study trips. For publisher houses it was an occasion to start with a series of new textbooks and to integrate these competences. The curriculum of 1999 is supposed to be maintained for at least a couple of years.
