Catholic education network gives priority to full religious tolerance

The Flanders Catholic education network (VSKO) has announced it will implement a policy of total acceptance of other faiths. The major upheaval to the Flemish Catholic education system comes at a time when schools across the region are increasingly filled with non-Catholic students, especially Muslims. Muslim students in the Catholic school system are from now on allowed to wear headscarves, make use of special prayer rooms and follow Islam classes outside of school hours.

The paradigm shift is part of a new school model in which other religions and life philosophies play a particularly important role. It means that Muslims and other faiths with a large representation in the schools will be respected and encouraged to practice their way of life without any attempts at conversion.

“It's an ambitious project, but research shows that our identity will weaken if we do nothing,” says VSKO director Lieven Boeve (pictured) in De Morgen. “We are challenging our schools to take a step in a new direction. The time when the schools were run by and for Catholics is over. Catholic identity no longer needs to be shared by each student or teacher, as long as they support the school project.”