A/HRC/22/51/Add.1 D. Freedom of religion or belief and school education 62. A sensitive issue raised in many discussions concerns school education, in particular religious instruction based on the tenets of a particular faith. The Special Rapporteur was told that Orthodox Christianity is taught as part of the mandatory curriculum in public schools in the southern part. Students or parents can apply for an exemption which is generally granted; however, an exemption reportedly needs to be justified by revealing one’s religion or belief in a letter to the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, due to a lack of rooms or resources in certain schools, children exempted from religious instruction may have to remain in the classroom, which means that in practice they are still exposed to religious instruction that may go against their convictions. According to the information received, Jehovah’s Witnesses are required to apply annually for exemption from religious instruction or ceremonies in order to convince the authorities that they do not participate in such religious activities. In some cases, exemption procedures have reportedly been rather cumbersome. 63. The Special Rapporteur heard reports about confessions to Orthodox priests being regularly organized in public schools and taking place during school hours. This practice seems highly problematic given the specific situation of the school, including the youth of students, the authority of teachers and headmasters, possible peer pressure and the relevance of school education for young people’s life opportunities. It can conceivably even amount to a violation of the internal dimension of a person’s religious or belief-related conviction (forum internum), which is protected unconditionally. 16 Pursuant to article 18 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, no one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice. 64. The Ministry of Education informed the Special Rapporteur about new teaching programmes which aim at familiarizing students with the diversity of religions and cultures in Cyprus and elsewhere. The Special Rapporteur was impressed to hear about the complex methodology, including giving the teachers freedom to adopt new teaching materials which should enable students to look at different traditions with the purpose of developing a sense of “multi-perspectivity” and critical thinking. In Limassol, Roma students are offered a special programme of Turkish language and history. There are also attempts to promote a mixed school system where Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot students study together with a view to facilitating tolerance and understanding. 65. In the northern part, there have been public debates on the question of mandatory religious and moral instruction, largely based on Islamic teachings, in public schools. As far as the Special Rapporteur could determine, parents or students do not seem to have an option of exemption, which would be an aggravating factor in this context. Reportedly, the largely secular teachers union firmly opposes any religious instruction in public schools in the north. 66. The Special Rapporteur would like to reiterate that religious instruction in the public school system must always go hand in hand with specific safeguards on behalf of members of religious or belief minorities, including theistic, non-theistic or atheistic minorities. A minimum requirement would be that members of minorities have the possibility of “opting out” of religious instruction that goes against their own convictions. Such exemptions should also be available for persons adhering to the very same faith in which instruction is given, whenever they feel that their personal convictions – including dissenting convictions – are not respected. Moreover, the possibility of opting out should not be linked to onerous bureaucratic procedures and must never carry with it de jure or de facto penalties. Finally, 16 16 See A/67/303, para. 22; A/HRC/16/53, para. 53.