Teach Don't Preach: Secular Education

A secular school is neutral on the question of religion: it does not teach that God either do or do not exist. Secular schools take no position on the question. 

French schools are secular. The 1905 French Law separating the Church and the State is now over a hundred years old. The laicité (or secularism) principle it defines, is unique in the world and is an integral part of France's contemporary political DNA. 

Article 2 both dictates that " the Republic neither recognizes nor employs nor subsidizes cults", and guarantees the freedom of each cult, as long as they do not violate public order. 

A secular school teaches children in an objective, critical, and pluralistic way about the different beliefs that different people have about God, and leaves it up to parents and religious institutions to teach specific religious beliefs outside of school hours. 

It is good for society for children to be educated together. Secular schools bring children together. They teach them the normal subjects that have a basis in scientific fact, like mathematics and languages and history and critical thinking. 

Secular schools help students understand other beliefs and respect other people. Secular schools respect human rights. Schools should not indoctrinate children with religious or non-religious beliefs that conflict with those of their parents. 

Secular schools teach ethics and social and emotional literacy skills, such as empathy. 

A new Charter of Secularism is to be posted in state schools to remind pupils, parents, and teachers that although in France everyone is free to practice any religion or none, within the country's state-run schools, there are limits to religious expression.

The charter outlines in 15 points the main principles of the 1905 law in France which enshrined the formal separation of state and religion. 

Secular education is a human right, based on international human right treaties to which European countries are party. Society should be based on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Schools should be strictly neutral in matters of religion, favoring none and discriminating against none. 

Education is about communicating, thinking, reasoning, learning technical skills. History must be correct, not convenient. We cannot twist science and history to conform the tenets of some religious leaders or some politicians.

The Constitution in France states, "France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs." 

Secularism is not an opinion among others, but rather the freedom to have an opinion.