(NL Times) Several Reformed Christian and Islamic schools are giving lessons that clash with democratic values like equality and tolerance, Nieuwsuur reported after examining mainstream, strictly Christian and Islamic education. Schools are required to teach children about democratic values and to live them in practice, but Article 23 of the Constitution also gives schools the freedom to juxtapose these values with religious messaging. At these orthodox schools, this is leading to “mixed messages” that children struggle to understand, experts told the program.
At both Christian and Islamic schools, students learn that they can decide for themselves how to live their lives, but also that they must obey God. They also learn the theory of evolution, but also that the religion considers this incorrect and that the world is actually only around 6,000 years old.
