Authorities discuss “spiritual-patriotic education” in schools with OCU and UGCC

Participants in the council on cooperation with Churches and religious organizations. Photo: Facebook

On March 11, 2026, a meeting of the Council on Cooperation with Churches and Religious Organizations was held at Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science. The Council reported this on its Facebook page. The meeting was chaired by Oleksandr Trofymliuk, head of the Department of Spiritual Education and a “cleric” of the OCU. Representatives of the UGCC, Protestant communities, and education directorates also took part in the event.

The central topic of the meeting was the presentation of the “Concept of Spiritual-Patriotic Education in Educational Institutions.” Participants in the discussion noted that in wartime, the school can no longer remain merely a space for transmitting academic knowledge, but must also become an environment for shaping personality and providing spiritual and moral support for young people.

The proposed concept calls for abandoning a formal approach to education in favor of the “real lived experience of values.” It envisions that such qualities as patriotism, mercy, responsibility, and dignity will become part of students’ daily experience through participation in joint initiatives and the completion of “monthly challenges.” A key principle of the project is described as the synergy of school, family, and spiritual mentors, which implies the development of the institution of educational chaplaincy.

The meeting also addressed the development of private schools and kindergartens founded by Protestant organizations. Tetiana Chumakova, director of the International Alliance for the Development of Christian Education, stressed that education is not worldview-neutral, since any educational process conveys a particular system of values.

In this connection, the alliance plans to provide methodological support to teachers for integrating Christian principles into the teaching of various school subjects. Following the meeting, members of the Council and ministry representatives stated that consolidating the efforts of the state, educators, and spiritual institutions is a necessary precondition for raising a spiritually mature generation of citizens.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that online users mocked the Ministry of Education’s ignorance in church-related matters.

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