Health and compulsory education take precedence

Health and compulsory education take precedence

The Association for Education and Training (VBE) has criticized the participation of elementary school students in fasting during Ramadan. Teachers had informed the federation about it, communicated the VBE on Wednesday in Berlin.

After that, the children do not eat or drink anything during a school day and are therefore too exhausted to participate in the lessons. "We respect the practice of religious observances," emphasized VBE Chairman Udo Beckmann. As a rule, Muslim parents would deal with it responsibly. However, a line is crossed when the health of children and the educational mission of the school suffers.

The VBE stressed that compulsory education also applies during Ramadan. There is only the possibility of exempting children from individual school events – such as a sports festival – for religious reasons. The VBE advises schools to notify the parents of children who refused to eat or drink despite recognizable exhaustion in order to pick up the children. If they suspected a serious health risk, they should consult a doctor. In addition, imams should inform parents that children under the age of twelve should not participate in fasting under any circumstances.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *