The necessity of Religious Education: Curricula and Instructors. A pan-Hellenic survey.

This paper presents the findings of a survey conducted by the Department of Primary Education of the University of the Aegean on the current Religious Education in Primary and Secondary Education. In particular, it attempts to understand the perceptions of 300 candidates and active theologians and teachers regarding: a) the usefulness of curricula and optimization of learning in Religious Education, b) the compulsory or optional nature of the course and c) the teachers’ competencies or incompetencies. The survey carried out was quantitative using electronic questionnaires, structured on the basis of the Likert measurement scale. In this paper the answers of the respondents are presented and analyzed, while in the end there are suggestions on the prospects and the upgrading of religious education within the framework of the vision for the new school.