Education minister denies seeking confrontation with Church

"It is not a Church-State confrontation. Since we all know from the past that no side wins from such a confrontation," he said. He pointed out that the new religious studies programme for schools was designed by an Educational Policy Institute committee that included theologians, and had been tested on a pilot basis for three years.
"The time has come for these programmes to be implemented, so that the new books can go into circulation from next year," he said. The changes would mark a shift for the religious studies class in Greek schools, he added, from a 'confession of faith' lesson to a knowledge of religions lesson, though always with emphasis on the Orthodox faith.
"It is the state that is responsible for education. School is secular, religiously tolerant and religiously neutral. We designed a class that is appealing, since it will be taught using modern teaching methods and not by turning classrooms into some sort of pulpit," Filis said.
Referring to the ministry's achievements, he pointed out that schools had this year opened without shortages for the first time in many years, while priority had been given to hiring in special education. He also pointed out that new hirings were up 34.96 pct compared with 2011, up 66.76 pct compared with 2012 and 700 pct more than in 2014.
The minister also presented a three-year educational reform plan that included 10 years mandatory schooling and shifts away from exam-centred models, the abolition of nationwide university entrance exams by the present Parliament and the creation of a uniform research and education "area".
"Our aim is a school of quality and equality," he noted, adding that the main opposition's only plan was to tear down any changes that the present government had introduced in the past 18 months.