The Freedom of Parents to Decide on Their Children’s Upbringing in Regard to Religious Education

Abstract

The issue of religious education for children in schools has elicited heated debates in Croatian society. Public opinion is divided on whether the authority of a primary educator allows for the parents to claim the right to influence the way the education of their children is conducted. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this paper aims to demonstrate the importance of a family’s value system in the context of child–rearing. It does so in the following way: firstly, national and international directives serve as a means to indicate the legal basis of parents’ having a voice in the matter. Secondly, the practice of the European Court of Human Rights demonstrates the scope of relevant regulations, focusing mainly on Article 2, Protocol No.1 of the European Convention of Human Rights. Finally, the author depicts circumstances in Croatia in regard to education and provides closing opinions on the necessity of education, especially religious, in schools and the legal basis of the parents’ right to subject their children to religious education in accordance with their value system.