Ethics is the new subject which will be replacing Religious Studies in Greek schools, aimed at students who choose to be exempted from the latter.
Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, Ethics, will be introduced in Greek schools, aimed at students who choose to be exempted from Religious Studies (Θρησκευτικά). The Ministry of Education’s relevant decision 149259/GD4/2025 was published in the official Government Gazette 6259/21.11.2025 and determines the curriculum and content of the new subject.
Ethics will be taught to students beginning in the 3rd grade through middle school and high school. Teaching hours will be equivalent to those of Religious Studies. With the integration of Ethics, the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports aims to include a subject with a European and international nature into the curriculum for students who do not wish to partake in more religious studies.
According to the Government Gazette, Ethics will cover social, existential, and philosophical issues, regardless of religious or ideological beliefs. In high school, it introduces students to philosophical and ethical thinking, focusing on “open” questions and the development of argumentation and critical thinking.
Content and objectives of the Ethics course, replacing Religious Studies, in Greek schools
The objective of the Ethics program is to strengthen critical thinking and strengthen oral and written expression. Particular emphasis is placed on the distinction between:
- Normative ethics (rules, criteria of correctness, regulation of behavior)
- Metaethics (nature of moral judgment, objectivity, ontological bases)
The course focuses mainly on the normative approach, without excluding metaethical discussions. The Ethics course in all grades of high school constitutes an introductory “initiation” to the specificity and practical nature of moral-philosophical activity. It is important to emphasize that understanding philosophical thought requires highlighting the specificity of the “open” questions that concern it.
Regarding high school, the general objectives of the course are for students to:
- Acquire basic knowledge of ethical theories that will provide them with the tools to be able to develop ethical reflection and handle ethical dilemmas and situations
- Develop psychosocially and form an autonomous personality, possessing ethical principles and values
- Reflect on contemporary ethical problems that concern the individual but also society in general
- Strengthen moral literacy, not in order to learn dogmatically what has been defined in advance as right and wrong by some authority, ideology, or theory
- Allow for the evaluation of alternative approaches and judgement of arguments and positions in order to appreciate the complexity of ethical issues and arrive at a more elaborate reflection on what is morally appropriate
- Develop critical and synthetic thinking
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