Religious Literacy in National Curricula of Estonia

Bibliographic Data

ID3250357
AuthorsAleksandra Sooniste (0000-0001-7419-4280, University of Tartu, corresponding author), Olga Schihalejev (0000-0002-4727-0329, University of Tartu)
Year2022
Volume13
Issue5
Pages411
Publication date2022-04-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel13050411
OpenAlexW4225282845
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited25

Religious literacy may be seen as a prerequisite for religious freedom. This article analyzes how the development of religious literacy is supported in the curricula of Estonian primary and secondary schools and the extent to which these schools guarantee religious freedom. We assume that developing religious literacy is not limited to the lessons of Religious Education but can also be achieved in schools in which Religious Education is not taught. We analyze the national curricula for both basic and upper secondary schools to understand how religious literacy is represented, whether implicitly or explicitly. We are particularly interested in how the competencies of religious literacy are supported in the curricula and how freedom of religion is ensured in state-funded schools. The texts are analyzed according to the core curriculum analysis method and the religious literacy model, which identifies four stages in the development of religious literacy: examining religion as a category, engaging with a disposition towards religions, building up relevant knowledge, and promoting skills to interact well in multicultural society. This analysis shows that the dominant discourse related to religious literacy in the curricula focuses on social skills for future citizens, but religious literacy itself, a vital skill for operating in the modern multicultural world, is scarcely mentioned. Instead, it is present primarily as an implicit concept, and religion is portrayed as distant both in time and in space. Thus, this approach to education contributes insufficiently to the freedom of religion needed in a contemporary multicultural society

Curriculum · Literacy · Multicultural education · Multiculturalism · Pedagogy · Political science · Religious education · Sociology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Education and Schools · Religious Freedom and Discrimination

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