Civil Education and Religion in Macedonia

Abstract

Civic education is one of the newly introduced subjects being taught as part of Macedonian primary and high school education. The main aim of this subject is to introduce students to concepts of human rights and freedoms, the Universal Declaration and European Conventions for human rights, and to initiate discussions around civic freedoms and duties in modern Macedonian society by studying the EU and its values, as well as the introduction of democracy to Macedonian society. At the same time, including subjects related to religion for example: ethics; religious ethics; introduction to World Religions in Macedonian primary schools is contributing to strengthening and affirming democratic values. Universal ethics, codes of state behaviour towards citizens, the society and the country are only a small part of the contents of the above-mentioned subjects that contribute toward developing civic society and promoting civic integration. The role of Islamic institutions in Macedonia must not be forgotten, as they are considered to be an important segment receiving the values derived from civic education.