ENSINO RELIGIOSO EM ESCOLAS PÚBLICAS DE VILA VELHA (ES): AVALIAÇÃO E PROPOSTA

Abstract

In a world where information is probably one of the most valuable items, one can imagine that space and school time are disputed among those who wish to exercise some form of mastery. In this sense, Religious Teaching competes with other knowledge, which, at first glance, presents itself as something much more useful to the students, especially when one considers that, as well it recalls the mark widely publicized by the defenders of the teaching 'religion is learned in the church'. The main objective of this study is to investigate, based on the theories inherent in the most modern teaching methods, what is the real importance of Religious Education in Basic Education. However, in order to achieve the general objective, the study proposed here will also seek the specific objectives presented below: a) promote theoretical research on the values and ideals that guide Basic Education; b) identify the main laws that guide Basic Education in Brazil; c) to develop field research, together with teachers and students, to know what they think about Religious Education in Basic Education; and d) to present suggestions for improvements that may minimize or correct the possible dysfunctions identified through field research, in order to contribute to the greater acceptance of Religious Education in Basic Education. In turn, the problem question that will be tried to answer through this study is: in the Basic Education, in which there is a great multiplicity of information, does the offer of the Religious Education discipline become necessary? As for the justifications for the accomplishment of this work, it is a fact that, in a country whose Federal Constitution guarantees the secular character of Education, and also in a nation where religious indoctrination borders extremism, the offer of the Religious Education discipline can be understood by many people as a form of indoctrination of children. Hence the importance of studying the question, both from the theoretical point of view and the practical side, to better understand what students and teachers think about the subject. Another justification for the accomplishment of the present work is the opportunity to apply, in the practical scope, the theoretical learning acquired throughout the academic life. However, there are even more significant reasons, such as knowing the legal delimitations that extend over the offer of the Religious Teaching discipline, in order to avoid religious indoctrination in the classroom, which could harm the secular aspect backed by the Constitution Citizen, enacted in the year 1988.