Children's rights and religious education in state-funded schools: an international human rights perspective

Abstract

The issue of whether and how religion should be taught in state-funded schools in secular, liberal, democratic, pluralistic and post modern societies remains crucially important. Given the sustained, dominant presence of religion in the public sphere, the need for children to possess in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of the role of religion in today's world cannot be overemphasised. In the same manner, the need to safeguard children from being subjected to indoctrination through religious education (RE) programmes offered in schools cannot be underestimated. Using international human rights frameworks and the relevant case law in assessing the different pedagogical approaches to RE, this article maintains that non-confessional multifaith RE – given its focus on conveying the body of knowledge to children in an objective, critical and pluralistic manner, without indoctrination – is the pedagogical model which best conforms to the principles of international human rights law. It is, therefore, the pedagogical approach to RE which international human rights frameworks, the European Court of Human Rights (the ECtHR), and the United Nations Human Rights Committee (the UNHRC) unreservedly endorse for deployment in state-funded schools.