Euroasian Jewish News

Lecture of EAJC Secretary General, Professor Michael Chlenov

Michael Chlenov Reads Lecture for Teachers

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress Secretary General, Professor Michael Chlenov took part in the work of tutors for the course "Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics," organized by the Federal Education Institute. Over 300 tutors hailing from different regions of the Russian Federation have gathered in Moscow for this study course. They will be preparing teachers to teach the six-module course dedicated to the four traditional religions of the Russian Federation (Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddism), basic tenets of other world religions, and the basics of secular ethics.

Professor Chlenov read a lecture on the module "Basics of Judaic Culture." While discussing the topic of teaching basics of "Basics of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics" with the future teachers, the EAJC Secretary General noted that the implementation this course into the school program of several regions should be seen as the beginning of the meeting between Russian school children and the traditional religions of the Russian Federation and the basics of other world religious cultures. "This is not a bad beginning," Professor Chlenov noted. "But the development of this process takes serious and painstaking work. For instance, I believe 4th and 5th grade is too early for the introduction of this course. There are certain issues with the existing educational materials. And the very requirement to choose one module out six is questionable. I'd like to hope that the problems which are obvious now will be eliminated."