A renewed national debate has emerged in North Macedonia over the role of religious and ethical education in public schools, following a proposal from the State Commission for Relations with Religious Communities. The Commission has suggested reinstating religious-ethics courses as mandatory elective subjects—a status they held until 2021.

The discussion comes as the country celebrates the feast of St. Clement of Ohrid, a key figure in Slavic enlightenment and a foundational influence on the Ohrid Archbishopric. Speaking to the Macedonian Church news portal liturgija.mk, Dr. Ilce Michevski-Ignat, acting dean of the Orthodox Faculty of Theology “St. Clement of Ohrid,” emphasized the saint’s lasting significance. St. Clement, he noted, “not only built churches but built the Church in the hearts of people,” teaching in a language accessible to the Slavs. For this reason, Michevski-Ignat argued, the moral and spiritual education of youth is “no less relevant today than it was a thousand years ago.”

In October, the State Commission proposed a unified sequence of subjects—Ethics, Ethics in Religions, and Cultural and Religious Heritage—with content tailored to student age. Under the plan, younger students would study basic ethics, psychology, and cultural studies; sixth graders would learn about the ethics of religions, taught by trained theologians; seventh graders would explore cultural and religious heritage; and upper-grade students would take advanced ethics, psychology, and sociology. The subject would be mandatory by choice for most years and fully mandatory in the final year.

All recognized religious communities in the country have expressed support for the initiative, including the Macedonian Orthodox Church–Ohrid Archbishopric, the Catholic Church, the Islamic Community, the Evangelical Church, and the Jewish Community. According to Macedonian media, the Ministry of Education has received the proposal and is preparing consultations with all stakeholders.

Prior to 2021, Ethics in Religions was a mandatory elective. Its reclassification as a free elective—alongside subjects such as chess—resulted in many schools discontinuing the classes due to low enrollment. Theologians trained specifically for this field subsequently faced unstable employment. Michevski-Ignat argues the change weakened the moral development of students: “The subject cultivates critical thinking, respect, and a culture of dialogue—qualities especially important in times of polarization,” he said.

The debate has also revived concerns about the secular character of the state. Critics fear the proposal could push public education toward confessional instruction. However, legal experts and religious representatives stress that the plan does not involve teaching theology. All content would be overseen by the Ministry of Education and aligned with national educational standards.

Orthodox theologians maintain that restoring the subject would strengthen the moral framework of young people. “Society needs the cultivation of respect, goodwill, and responsibility—values that the Church has preached for centuries,” said Father Boban Mitevski, a representative of the Association of Teachers of Ethics in Religions.