Naar niet-confessioneel levensbeschouwelijk onderwijs in een verzuild onderwijsstelsel

Abstract

AbstractTowards non-confessional worldview education in a pillarized education system: a plea from the low countriesIn this article the claim is raised, that the pillarized education system of Belgium and the Netherlands interferes with the way the challenges of modern secular and plural society are addressed in worldview education in school. After a brief sketch of the education systems of both countries and the way worldview education is formally embedded in these systems, a critical analysis of the actual practice of worldview education in Belgium and the Netherlands reveals four major problems: it is organized along religious and ideological dividing lines, it is fragmented, it is no longer desired and its content is faded. Following this critical analysis, the authors make a plea for non-confessional worldview education for all pupils in all schools organized and supervised by the state.