The inclusion of religious education in school curriculums remains a highly contentious issue. Advocates contend that it fosters the development of spiritual and moral values while offering an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of cultural traditions. They argue that religious instruction plays a key role in students' personal and educational growth.

On the other hand, critics assert that schools should maintain a neutral stance on worldviews, warning that religious education could marginalise those from different faiths or belief systems. They suggest that religious instruction should be confined to settings outside the school environment.

A long-standing and heated debate continues between those who insist on maintaining religious education in its current form within schools and those advocating changes in how the subject is taught. The Polish Institute for Market and Social Research (IBRiS), commissioned by Rzeczpospolita, recently conducted a survey exploring public opinion on several key issues, including whether religious education should be scheduled for the first or last lessons of the day, whether religion grades should count towards a student’s overall average, and whether the number of religious education hours should be reduced.

The survey carried out in early September revealed that 60.3% of respondents believe religion grades should not be included in the overall grade average, while 28.4% disagreed, and 11.3% expressed no opinion on the matter. Furthermore, 61.6% supported the idea that religious classes should be held either at the beginning or end of the school day, with the possibility of combining students from different classes if fewer than seven students attend. Only 27.3% opposed this proposal, while 11% were undecided.

In addition, 56% of those surveyed backed the idea of reducing religious education to one weekly lesson. Nearly a third of respondents opposed the reduction, and just over 12% had no opinion.

Source: Portal dla edukacji