Religious education is a compulsory subject both in comprehensive schools (7-16 years) and in upper secondary schools (16-18/19 years). Pupils who do not belong to any religious denomination can choose between religious education or secular ethics. The objective of religious education in schools is to obtain a broad and diverse general education regarding religions and world views. Religious education in Finland is non-confessional, although pupils and students receive RE according to their own religion.
Earlier this year the Finnish National Agency for Education published the final report on development and reforming RE and ethics in school education. The committee producing the report consists of a variety of experts in the field of RE and ethics. The report presented alternative models for developing RE in school education and proposed allowing upper secondary school students to choose whether they want to study RE or ethics regardless of their religious background.

In my country presentation I’ll give an introduction to the current RE model in Finland and the alternative models presented in the report of the Finnish National Agency for Education. I will discuss how different alternative models would reshape RE in Finland.

Curriculum Conversations – Discussions surrounding a revision of the RE Curriculum in Northern Ireland

For decades RE was taught within the context of a relatively religiously homogeneous society in Northern Ireland, although schools were divided according to the Protestant/Catholic communities in which they were situated. The recent census has shown that a small but growing percentage of the NI population are now members of other faiths, or, as in many modern European societies, describe them selves as atheist or non-religious. The current curriculum, now almost 20 years old, which is almost entirely Christian in content and neo-confessional in its focus can therefore be deemed as ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
A Judicial Review in July 2022 concluded that under the curriculum RE was not ‘conveyed in an objective, critical and pluralist manner’. My input to the EFTRE Conference will be focus on the many different conversations I have been part of, in response to the need for a revision of the RE curriculum to make it better fit the description above. One of these conversations has been with the ongoing strategic review of the Northern Ireland and resonates with the also-ongoing consideration of the name of the subject in schools, as well its place within the national curriculum and discussions around the prioritisation of knowledge over skills and attitudes in UK curricula.

Der Religionsunterricht der Minderheiten in Rumänien / Religious Education of Minorities in Romania

Please beware that this presentation will be held in a mixture of English and German. A written English handout will be provided and the discussion facilitated by a translator.

Neben der Mehrheit von etwa 85 % orthodoxer Christen gibt es in Rumänien eine Vielzahl von religiösen Minderheiten. Wie sieht der schulische Religionsunterricht dieser Minderheiten aus? Ausgehend von ihren eigenen Erfahrungen als Religionslehrerin in Sibiu/Rumänien (2019-2022) hat Gunda Wittich sich der Aufgabe gestellt, diesen Religionsunterricht wahrzunehmen, zu beschreiben und ihn in einem europäischen Bildungskontext zu beleuchten. Welchen Konfessionen, welchen Ethnien gehören sie an? Welche rechtlichen, gesellschaftlichen und historischen Gegebenheiten prägen ihn? Wie wirken sich europäische Standardanforderungen und ökumenische Übereinkünfte auf den Unterricht aus? Welche Spuren hinterlassen unterschiedliche Ausbildungssituationen und internationale Kontakte? Welche Konsequenzen ziehen Migration und Abwanderung einst starker Minderheiten nach sich? Was stellt sich die Aufgabe des Religionsunterrichtes dar und was macht ihn in den Augen der Lehrkräfte so sinnvoll? Gedeutet wird aus einer evangelischen Perspektive.
Grundlage der Darstellungung sind Unterrichtsbesuche im Jahr 2022 und eine Dissertation von Januar 2025, die im August auch gedruckt vorliegen wird.

English translation (by deepl)
In addition to the majority of around 85% Orthodox Christians, there are a number of religious minorities in Romania. What does RE look like for these minorities in schools? Based on her own experiences as an RE teacher in Sibiu, Romania (2019–2022), Gunda Wittich has set herself the task of observing and describing this RE and examining it in a European educational context. Which denominations and ethnic groups do they belong to? What legal, social and historical factors shape it? How do European standard requirements and ecumenical agreements affect teaching? What traces do different educational situations and international contacts leave behind? What are the consequences of migration and the departure of once strong minorities? What is the task of RE and what makes it so meaningful in the eyes of teachers? The interpretation is from a Protestant perspective.
The presentation is based on classroom visits in 2022 and a dissertation from January 2025, which will also be available in print in August.

Religion and virtues – religious studies in Bulgaria

A history of RE in Bulgaria and the current setup of RE curricula will be presented.

Challenges of RE teacher training in Hungary based on mentors’ views

In the context of RE teacher training in Hungary, mentors play a vital role in supporting student teachers throughout their practice. Mentors assist not only trainees beginning their teaching practices but also those with longer teaching experiences. This prior experience can present unique challenges, as it often requires a critical reassessment and reflection on existing teaching methods, and in some cases, their adaptation or refinement. This presentation examines the ways in which mentors are prepared to facilitate such reflective processes. It also discusses the challenges identified by mentors in their portfolio narratives. The findings highlight key areas, such as organisational context, personal questions, the issues of communication between mentor and mentee, and various dilemmas).

The meaning of academic identity in higher education: experiences of scholars with multidisciplinary backgrounds (Lithuania)

Higher education is unimaginable without the scholars who work, create, and act in it. As members of the academic profession, university scholars are not only specialists in a particular discipline but also agents of cultural, intellectual, and social change. The main aim of the study is to understand how the multidisciplinary background influences the development of the academic identity of scholars in higher education.
The study adopted a relatively new methodological approach of integral phenomenology. This methodological approach allowed the phenomenological structure of the scholars’ experiences of academic identity development to be complemented by the dimensions of corporeality, temporality, spatiality, relationality, materiality, and spirituality. Multidisciplinary education enables researchers to combine knowledge and research methodologies from different disciplines to form a broad (horizontal) and deep (vertical) approach that allows them to operate in multidisciplinary environments. A personalised sense of commitment and responsibility encourages scholars not only to create knowledge but also to apply it responsibly and to contribute to constructive social, academic, and cultural change.

Complexity & Challenges in Switzerland’s RE

Switzerland’s RE landscape is shaped by a unique complexity: each of the 26 cantons independently decides if, how, and to what extent RE is taught in schools. This diversity reflects Switzerland’s federalist tradition but also presents challenges for coherence and comparability across the country. Currently, efforts to reform the national “Maturareglement” (the framework governing upper secondary education and university access) aim to standardize elements of the curriculum, including RE. This presentation explores how the tension between cantonal autonomy and national harmonization impacts the role and structure of RE, highlighting both the opportunities and the challenges that arise. It will offer insights into current developments, practical implications for educators, and broader questions about identity, neutrality, and pluralism in a multi-religious society.

RE in Sweden

Sweden and Norway, like many other parts of Western Europe, is characterized by ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity, which challenge simplistic understandings of identity and belonging (Hall, 2025). However, the opposition between the religious and the secular have long been predominant in educational contexts. As Sajir (2023) has pointed out, in a post-secular context, the religious origins of the majority culture are often obscured. Addressing the issues of representation and inclusion, this can be particularly problematic for students with ethno-religious identities. Also, a new report from 2025 reveals that one in ten young Swedes identify as religious, and many turn to the Christian faith as a source of comfort and stability in times perceived as uncertain by young people. As Lewin (2017) argues, RE plays a crucial role in developing religious literacy to better understand and manage diversity and belonging in light of current transitions. In this context, the presentation will focus on the new subject curricula for upper secondary schools in Sweden. We will also discuss how these changes can address shifts in the Swedish religious landscape and create spaces for dialogue and conditions for learning from and with each other.

Modern challenges and features of (in general Christian) RE subject in times of war in Ukraine

We will have the opportunity to present the program for teachers “Pedagogy of Resilience”, which has a resilience component for teachers and a spiritual component.
This course was created for teachers who are navigating the challenges of war, trauma, and recovery — not just as professionals, but as people. It helps educators take care of their own well-being while learning how to support others with empathy and strength.
The program blends two key elements: psychological resilience and spiritual grounding. Teachers gain tools to better understand emotional, developmental, and spiritual needs in their classrooms. They also learn to build trust, improve communication in teams, and support others in times of crisis.
At the heart of the course is a values-based approach that encourages inner stability, emotional literacy, and respect for each person’s inner world. We also explore a crisis-sensitive model of education — partnership pedagogy — which emphasizes cooperation and care, especially in times of uncertainty.
This is more than a training. It’s a journey toward becoming a calm, steady presence in the lives of others — and in your own.

Pupils and RE in the Netherlands from a European perspective

The Netherlands is a pluralistic, multi-religious, and secularized country, although its roots are Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Even in Catholic secondary schools in the Netherlands, religious diversity is considerable. The Czech Republic and former East Germany are also highly secularized, but with a different history (Van Dijk-Groeneboer et al., 2021), whereas Poland, with similar history to these two countries, appears to be more Catholic and Christian (Zellma et al., 2022). Research using the same questionnaire in four countries showed the religiousness of respondents in the south/south-east Poland does not show any distinct secularisation trends. Religion-oriented values were only considered important by Czech and Polish pupils.
Again in 2022, research among 1250 pupils in Dutch secondary schools was conducted, part of the longitudinal five-yearly research since 1997. Results show their perspective on societal developments and their sources to remain rooted in a world in crisis. In our country presentation of the Netherlands, we show the results, present our ideas for RE-didactics describing newly-developed practices RE teachers can implement to empower their pluralistic classroom, contributing to pupils’ resilience, fostering a hopeful yet realistic worldview.

Olympiad of RE in Estonia

In Estonia, RE is an elective subject with a non-confessional approach, It focuses on developing students’ understanding of world religions and worldviews. A unique and exciting feature of Estonian RE is the RE Olympiad – a national academic competition where students tackle complex questions about religion and ethics.
This Olympiad encourages critical thinking, respectful dialogue, and deep engagement with big ideas. Talented students across Estonia look forward to it each year and find it a rewarding intellectual experience.
In this presentation, I’ll share insights into how the RE Olympiad works.

Renewing RE in Primary Schools: The ‘Book and Assignment’ Approach in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, RE faces the challenge of remaining relevant in a secularizing and diversifying society. Within the Christian section (CVHO) of the General Education Union (AOb), we have developed an innovative method called “Book and Assignment” to address this.
“Book and Assignment” presents carefully selected youth literature that can be used in multiple ways. Its first goal is to foster reading enjoyment, literary development, and a love of books. Its second goal is to use literature across subjects: to support citizenship education, humanities, and personal formation. Selected titles range from simple to complex, from open-ended to controversial, encouraging students to engage deeply and reflectively.

Currently, we collaborate with over 205 schools and around 600 teachers, expanding our community through Instagram and LinkedIn. National attention from publications like Reformatorisch Dagblad, Verus, and the AOb Onderwijsblad highlights our impact.

At the EFTRE conference, we will share how Book and Assignment fosters literacy development in RE, strengthens societal competencies, and opens new possibilities for dialogue-based RE across Europe.