Since 2012, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science has introduced a new subject into the school program – “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics” (FRCSE). Currently, the subject is studied in the fourth grades and includes modules on the fundamentals of secular ethics, as well as the fundamentals of world and religious cultures, including separate blocks devoted to Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism. Of interest are the principles of studying the fundamentals of Islamic culture, as well as the formation of the student’s self-attitude in the process of studying the course.
The introduction of the subject in schools was preceded by a broad public discussion. Since the 1990s, Russia has practiced classes related to the issue in one form or another. Various ideas were discussed: for example, it was proposed to study "Fundamentals of World and Religious Cultures", "History of Religions", traditional religious cultures of the peoples of Russia, and so on, that is, to make the new subject broaden the horizons of schoolchildren. In order to avoid infringement of constitutional rights, it was decided to study the subject in separate modules chosen by the parents of students. The thematic block "Russia is our Motherland" is included in the program of each of the courses.
The fundamentals of religions are taught taking into account the age of students, according to the principles of humanism, multiculturalism , nationality and spirituality, relying on the values traditional for Russian culture. The conceptual positions of studying the fundamentals of the Muslim religion consist in the integrity of students' ideas about Islam, the ethnic and regional nature of Muslim culture in the education system. At the same time, for schoolchildren who have chosen this module, it is important to study the correct relationship between the fundamentals of Islam and the goals and objectives of the educational process in a state institution.
The extensive content of the module "Fundamentals of Islamic Culture" includes thematic blocks devoted to the history of religion, doctrine, cult practices, familiarization with sacred primary sources and duties of Muslims, as well as their everyday life. Schoolchildren are told about Muslim art and the role of Islam in world and Russian cultures. Of course, a separate block concerns the life of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ and his companions. The topics of any module of the FRCSE serve the main target - the education of a moral personality.
The course has great potential for developing primary school students' attitudes towards themselves, the world and the people around them. Studying the subject encourages students to think about such qualities as responsiveness, generosity, tact, kindness and many others. Domestic teachers offer many interesting methods, as indicated by the study by V. I. Prokofieva, a master's student at the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education at Moscow State Pedagogical University, "Formation of Primary School Student's Self-Attitude in the Process of Studying the FRCSE Course".
"Self-attitude " is considered by experts as a set of personality aspects "that accept emotional value as initiative" necessary in social interaction. The process is associated with students' reflections on their place in this world, on what values and goals to strive for, and what should be avoided in life. It is in the fourth grade that a junior schoolchild approaches the stage when he stands on the threshold of secondary education - the next stage of it.
Among the methods offered by teachers, the emphasis is on independent work of students, which implies participation in discussion of the material and selection of personal homework. The key aspect is in the direction set by teachers, allowing schoolchildren to draw a conclusion about the ability of each person to make a choice, as well as about the important role of self-education and self-improvement. In building their own system of moral values, a student can rely not only on personal experience and the values of their family, but also on the centuries-old experience of humanity's understanding of religious and secular ethical principles and norms.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense