[1] Additionally, all schools are required by law to provide a daily act of collective worship, of which at least 51% must be Christian in basis over the course of the academic year.
Sarah Smalley, the chair of the Association of Religious Education Inspectors, Advisors and Consultants, stated that some "schools did have problems fulfilling the requirement for worship" due to what they thought was "a lack of space to gather the entire school for worship," although Smalley noted that "there is actually no requirement for such a gathering, as smaller groups are allowed.
Although in some rare regions, namely Alsace-Moselle, the old Concordat of 1801 being still valid because of the German occupation at the time of the separation of Church and State in France and the strong stand of population in favour of this, religious education is compulsory, and a dispensation is necessary if the child refuses to be following (Catholic or Protestant) religious education.
[6] The course educates students about communities of faith, the foundations of the major world religions, the sacred texts, religious practices and festivals for Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.
The Chinuch Atzmai schools focus almost entirely on Torah study and offer very little in terms of secular subjects.
In place of RE, there is a short but nonetheless compulsory subject called "Ethics" (道徳, doutoku, lit.
However, despite the stated secular stance, references to the majority religions of Shinto and Buddhism are sometimes made in class texts.
A public school located in a mixed area would prefer not to give RE classes, unless voted otherwise by locals.
[citation needed] The Malaysian education system makes Moral Studies compulsory for non-Muslim students at secondary and primary schools.
There has been considerable debate about the usefulness of the "Moral" subject, primarily due to the strict exam-oriented marking schemes.
[10] As of 2007[update], Article 2 of the Constitution of Norway mandates Evangelical-Lutheran parents to provide a religious upbringing for their children.
The school buildings built and maintained by the Roman Catholic Church were handed over to the state under the Education Act.
Since then, the Catholic schools are fully funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate.
As part of the deal, there are specific legal provisions to ensure the promotion of a Catholic ethos in such schools: applicants for positions in the areas of Religious Education, Guidance or Senior Management must be approved by the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, which also appoints a chaplain to each of its schools.
[14][15] The majority of Middle Eastern countries provide compulsory religious studies in both private and public schools.