Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) – The President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), Cardinal Camillo Ruini, and the Italian minister for education, universities and research Letizia Moratti, signed yesterday, 23 October, “Specific Objectives for Learning and Teaching the Catholic Religion (IRC) in Infant and Primary schools”. Fruit of lengthy preparation taking into account specific objectives of other disciplines and in particular the “educational cultural and professional profile of pupils in the first school cycle (6-14 years)”, the objectives express adequate correspondence with didactic orientations proposed by “National Indications” while not losing sight of IRC’s specific character.
This first agreement defined objectives for infant school and primary school pending ulterior definitions for first and second grade secondary schools. This is a decisive step to ensure full connection between IRC and the Italian School Reform (in force since 23 March this year). In fact IRC wishes to every effect to be inserted in the school and it is also requested by the present Reform which proposes didactics whose qualifying aspects are convergence of disciplines and inter-discipline activity.
Collaboration between the Education Ministry and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference intends to foster that “civil co-existence” and “spiritual and moral education, affective, psychomotor, cognitive, moral, religious and social development” which the Reform considers the main goals of the “school community” and to promote IRC ever better inserted in the school and more effective in the education offered, so that this instruction may help children of all ages to build their future in a balanced manner rich in meaning. (S.L.) (Service Fides 24/10/2003 – lines 20; words 282)
