High court: Previous gov’t decisions downgrading religious lessons in public schools unconstitutional

Greece’s Council of State, the highest administrative court in the country, has ruled that decisions taken by the previous government’s education ministry regarding religious studies in primary and secondary schools are unconstitutional and non-compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a very public reprimand of the previous leftist government’s policies in the specific sector, a majority of high court justices ruled that the cultivation of an Orthodox Christian consciousness should be pursued, and that the specific classroom lesson in public schools is directed exclusively towards pupils of the Orthodox faith.

A dominant majority of the native-born population in Greece belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, with the Church enjoying a leading position in the nation since the inception of the modern Greek state in 1830.

Conversely, the relevant education and religious affairs minister, Niki Kerameos, has signed a decision to remove the religious affiliation and citizenship entry on school diplomas and on the ministry’s IT registries.

The minister, and by extension, the center-right government, was forced to remove the affiliations after a ruling by an independent personal data watchdog authority in the country.

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