Programa de Educação Moral e Religiosa Católica

: 2014 Confessionalidade Disciplinar versus Laicidade Curricular

Abstract

It seems to be stubbornly unresolved, in school environment, in academic debate and in political decisions, the insertion of confessional nature disciplines in school curriculum. In case of Catholic Moral and Religious Education (EMRC), under the tutelage of the Roman Catholic Church (ICR), references to Concordat, Portuguese Republic Constitution (CRP), Educational System Basic Law (LBSE) and Universal Declaration on Human Rights (DUDH) continues, with arguments of a political-legal nature. In Portugal there was some debate at curricular level in last century 80’-90’, of Educational System (SE) Reform contexts, which later faded or confined to ministerial cabinets and departments. It was a debate, often affected by stereotypes, either by supporters or by those who believed that such a situation was an exclusive privilege of ICR. In 2014, a new EMRC Program (P-2014) appears, following the change in the curricular paradigm prescribed by Education Office (ME). Inconsistencies were found in its stated formulation and contextualized operationalization; therefore, researcher's initiative to deep, from a curricular point of view, arose whether this new document marked a significant evolution towards greater inclusion in the SE, as necessary knowledge to future generations, relevant to their learning, socially inclusive and supported by methodologies appropriate to a specific area of knowledge. In other words: does P-2014 show a curriculum that combines EMRC confessional identity with SE inclusive secularity, giving that discipline an authentic curricular citizenship, supported, not in national or international agreements, but in real needs of the curriculum structure? There was an urgent need to investigate. What, who, how, with what, what “point of view”? It started with problematics contextualization, with some kind of historical setback. The background vision was structured from the relationship between curriculum and society and knowledge, with the issue of values and religious education . A research strategy of a qualitative nature and an interpretative paradigm was drawn up, using appropriate instruments and analysis techniques that could reveal what teachers think about their matrix instrument for teaching work, what are authors thought framework concepts and decisions, what says the document itself to the questions that the researcher asked them.
It’s a pioneer study, especially related to the object and the approach’s area(Curricular Studies). It means that remains a lot to investigate, many other perspectives must be called, the debate must extend to the places, instances and events where these issues are discussed. The collected data can (and should) be approached by others, confronted with other knowledge, added, corrected, redirected. Pioneer always suffers from some childishness. That requires more mature, settled, grown-up approaches. It is a contribution to overcome privilege, stereotype, common sense, “ignorance” that knows everything and discusses nothing. At the Academy there are no “forbidden ”subjects! The conclusions reached reveal disagreements between what is formally stated(legislation, ecclesiastical guidelines and purposes, public statements) and the explicit curriculum enunciated and rendered in P-2014, and teachers, when make real this curriculum, find themselves in the vortex of a tension between curricular secularity and confessionaly identity that insists on remaining as a conflictual focus.

Date of Award	16 Apr 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria do Céu Roldão (Supervisor)