Bavaria introduces "Islamic lessons"

After more than a decade of testing, there will soon be a new school subject in Bavaria. "Islamic lessons" will be offered at 350 schools in the state from autumn - in the spirit of the Basic Law and in German.

From the coming school year, there will be an elective subject "Islamic lessons" at around 350 schools in Bavaria. The cabinet decided to transfer the previous state-wide model experiment to a regular school subject. This should be selectable for schoolchildren, especially those of the Muslim faith, instead of religious teaching and alongside ethics.

It is a state offer in which state teachers are supposed to impart knowledge about the Islamic religion as well as a basic value orientation "in the spirit of the values ​​of the Basic Law and the Bavarian Constitution" in German.

Now the state parliament has to agree and curricula have to be developed. The name "Islamic teaching" will be used. "The name remains, the name is the brand," emphasized Minister of Education Michael Piazolo after the cabinet meeting in Munich.

The new subject has decades of history. In the beginning there was an "Islamic instruction" in Turkish, later the offer was in German. A pilot project "Islamic teaching" has been running since 2009 and has been continuously expanded. Most recently, the model test was carried out at around 350 schools, especially at elementary and secondary schools and especially in metropolitan areas.

This is how many locations, around 350, should also be available as a compulsory elective in autumn. The teachers used in the previous pilot project should be able to continue to be employed. The offer should also be expanded "as needed", said Piazolo. When and at how many schools in Bavaria the subject will be offered in the coming years is still open.

Source: n-tv