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Spain: intolerance of parents who object to Socialist course

In an interview with the Socialist daily El Pais this past Sunday, Spain’s Minister of Education, Mercedes Cabrera, reaffirmed the government’s policy of complete intolerance of parents who conscientiously object to the controversial course “Education for Citizenship,” reports Catholic News Agency.

In response to the thousands of parents who have said for reasons of conscience they will not allow their children to attend the course, Cabrera said that people were free to file complaints and protests but that as long as the Supreme Court has not said otherwise, “what we have here is a law that must be obeyed. The responsibility of local communities is to clearly and unambiguously inform parents of the consequences of pulling their children out of the class.”

When asked what the consequences would be Cabrera said they would not be given diplomas. “But this is not a threat, it is the fulfillment of the law,” she stated.

Cabrera acknowledged there was widespread disagreement about educational policy in Spain and that there needed to be a greater effort to achieve a consensus.

[05/21/2008]

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