Schools in Quebec are now required to hold a course on ethics and religious culture.

The course is part of the government’s efforts to deal with the realities of mass immigration, according to Globe and Mail. It is requiring all schools, public and private, to hold the course in order to help students understand the diversity of beliefs. It will introduce them to holidays like Hanukkah and figures like the Sikh Guru Nanak.

Quebec’s educational system has been dominated by Catholic and Protestant education, and many private schools aren’t happy. Some Catholic schools say children should be receiving Catholic education at their schools – and they should not be forced into confusion over choices.

Over 600 schools have requested exemption from teaching the course, and the government has refused every one of them. They will still be required to provide the education.

According to Globe and Mail:

“This is historic,” said Jean-Pierre Proulx, a University of Montreal education professor who advised the government on the new course. “We’re not aiming to form good Catholics or good Protestants or good Jews. We want to form good cultivated citizens, who are tolerant and able to enter into dialogue with others…Because ignorance often leads to intolerance.”

Learn more about the program.

Download the curriculum.

Filed under: Religion and Law