Interest among St. Petersburg school children in studying the basics of Orthodoxy has grown in comparison to those interested in studying world religious cultures, according to the head of the city’s Education Committee Zhanna Vorobyova, reports Interfax-Religion. “Within the framework of the course ‘Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics,’ 40% of students choose to study world religious cultures. I can say that if four years ago, 6% of students chose to study the basics of Orthodoxy, today it is 33%. They also choose other modules; there are six in all, but most of all—world religious cultures and Orthodoxy,” Vorobyova said.

She noted that studying the basics of secular ethics is becoming less and less popular among students. “They are choosing secular ethics noticeably less often than before. It used to be 25-30%. This is probably appropriate, because the family itself can teach etiquette and ethics,” the head of the city commission reflected.

The course “Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics” was introduced into all general education schools in Russia on September 1, 2012. It is studied for four years, for an hour a week, and consists of six modules: “The Basics of Orthodox Culture,” “The Basics of Islamic Culture,” “The Basics of Jewish Culture,” “The Basics of Buddhist Culture,” “The Basics of World Religious Cultures,” and “The Basics of Secular Ethics.” School children and their parents have the right to choose one of them. (Quelle: www.pravoslavie.ru, 23. August 2017)