Association of Lay Catechists supports religious education choice

The Association of Lay Catechists (SKŚ) has issued an open letter to Poland's Minister of National Education, Barbara Nowacka, regarding the role of religious education in schools. The organization supports the civic project ‘YES to religion and ethics in school,’ which has gathered over half a million signatures.

The project proposes a choice between religion and ethics classes rather than mandatory catechesis. The SKŚ argues that this approach respects pluralism and the rights of parents and students to follow their own convictions. The association criticized the Ministry's characterization of the debate as a conflict between the government and bishops, noting that the initiative is driven by a significant civic mandate.

Furthermore, the SKŚ highlighted the practical difficulties faced by teachers due to current organizational changes, including reduced hours, the need to travel between multiple schools, and job insecurity. They emphasized that the presence of religious and ethical education is not a privilege for the Church, but a means of fulfilling students' rights to freedom of conscience and value-based formation.