The Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture has been incorporated as an elective course and studied at Pridnestrovie's schools over the past six years. Since this academic year 8-grade pupils take the compulsory course Fundamentals of Ethics in the World's Religious Cultures. Presently, the Ministry of Education is working out a curriculum of the compulsory course Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics for 4-grade pupils. It consists of two modules (Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture and Fundamentals of Secular Ethics), one of which schoolchildren will choose to study since next school year.
At the end of school year the Tiraspol and Dubossary Diocese initiated a survey to find out parents' views on these courses.
According to the deputy education minister, Svetlana Turchak, more than 26,000 parents took part in the inquiry. Its results show that 91.7% are confident that school subjects must promote moral behaviour for children.
The majority of respondents (59%) chose the module Fundamentals of Secular Ethics for their children, whereas 41% would prefer the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.
Forty-five per cent of parents believe that the course Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture must be compulsory, 43.7% disagree with them, the rest 11.3% were not able to decide.
The majority (83.3%) believes that the course Fundamentals of Ethics in the World's Religious Cultures for 8-grade pupils will be good for forming schoolchildren's moral background.
Respondents were also proposed to answer what changes in children's consciousness and behaviour they expect to see after taking the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture or Fundamentals of Secular Ethics in the fourth grade and Fundamentals of Ethics in the World's Religious Cultures in the eighth grade.
The most popular answer was «I wish my child adopt the notions of 'good', 'evil', 'conscience', 'honour'.» It was chosen by 55.5%. «That is we say that parents need these abstract and rather complex categories to be discussed both at school and at home," said Svetlana Turchak.
With 52.7%, the next most popular answer was «I wish my child become a more educated person.» Those who chose this answer want their children to realise the necessity to respect and care for their parents.
«These courses are not evaluative. And parents' opinion coincided with ours. The majority of parents consider that marks should not be given for these courses," noted the deputy minister.
«The figures show that the majority of parents support the idea fostered by the state in the field of spiritual and moral education of children," Svetlana Turchak concluded the survey results.
The head of the president's administration on interaction with public and religious organisations, Natalya Nikiforova, proposed to consider the possibility of enabling children to freely switch from one module to another within the Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics course.
«The aim is to make a child more moral, kinder and honest, understanding where adults can lead him. If the aims of both modules coincide, parents and children should be allowed to freely switch from one module to another whenever they like," believes Natalya Nikiforova.
