Hamburg, June 14 – The Teachers’ Union (GEW) in Hamburg is campaigning for ethics to be offered as an alternative to religious education for students starting from the first grade. The union has presented a petition to the school authority, pushing for this change, which would extend a choice currently available only to students from the seventh grade onwards.
GEW Advocates for Choice in Elementary Education
The GEW believes that elementary school children should also have the option to choose between religious, philosophical, or ethics classes. Currently, religious education is a compulsory subject in primary schools in Hamburg. The union argues that an ethics or philosophy class would be a valuable alternative for these younger students, especially given that more than half of Hamburg’s population now identifies with no religious affiliation.
According to the GEW, ethics education can also serve as a crucial platform for imparting democratic values. The union highlights that Hamburg lags behind other German states, such as Bavaria, where ethics is already taught in primary schools.
School Authority Skeptical, Petition Gathers Support
The GEW’s petition garnered nearly 5,000 signatures, though the union had aimed for 10,000. The list of demands has been submitted to the relevant Senate committee. However, the school authority has so far expressed skepticism regarding the proposed change. They emphasize that religious education is intended for everyone, regardless of a family’s religious background, and that ethical themes are already integrated into the current curriculum.
This discussion comes amidst broader conversations about education in Hamburg, including recent calls from the Federal Student Conference for more school psychologists to address mental health at schools, a topic that was central at a conference held at the Stadtteilschule Bergedorf.
The debate underscores a growing desire among some educators and parents to modernize the curriculum to better reflect the diverse societal landscape of Hamburg and to provide a more inclusive educational experience from an early age.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/lehrergewerkschaft-fordert-ethik-statt-religion-bereits-ab-klasse-1,ethik-104.html
