Study on Religious Education in the Philippines and its Contribution to Multi-cultural Education

本研究旨在收集关于宗教在菲律宾公共教育中的作用的实用数据，并积累日本宗教教育的研究数据，通过比较为教育政策制定提供有用的见解。马尼拉中部地区的活动包括在教育部收集材料以及参观天主教学校：Ateneo de Manila 和 De La Salle Zobel。奎松省的公立和天主教私立学校也进行了采访和活动观察。对收集的数据和其他研究结果进行了分析。在社会研究和其他常规科目的教科书中，人们发现基于基督教的价值观受到强调。即使在科学中，也发现了诸如“上帝是世界的创造者”、“上帝是生命之源”等表述。选择性宗教教育虽然不是常规课程，但得到了天主教会和其他宗教机构的支持。在教育法规方面时有争议，这反映了菲律宾社会的多元文化和多宗教。 日本的宗教教育，关注的焦点是私立宗教学校，其教育经验丰富，而公立学校一直缺乏。日本基督教教育研究所2003年对基督教学校进行的研究中收集的数据从另一个角度进行了重新分析。根据学校规模、地区以及男女同校和男/女学校之间的情况，发现了不同的趋势。

This study aimed at collecting practical data on the role of religion in Philippine public education as well as accumulating research data on religious education in Japan, which would bring useful insight for educational policy making through comparison.Several research trips were made in the Philippines. The activities in Manila Central Region were material collection at Department of Education and visits to Catholic schools : Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle Zobel. Interviews and observation of activities were also taken place in public and Catholic private schools in Quezon Province. Collected data and other research results have been analyzed. In textbooks of Social Studies and other regular subjects, values based on Christianity were found to be stressed. Even in Science, expressions such as God as the Creator of the world, God as source of life were found. Optional religious education, though not a regular subject, has been supported by the Catholic Church and other religious institutions. Controversies occasionally occurred over regulations on the education, which reflected the multi-cultural and multi-religious Philippine society.About religious education in Japan, the focus of attention has been private religious schools with rich experience of the education, which public schools have been lacking. Data gathered through research on Christian schools conducted by Japan Institute of Christian Education in 2003 were reanalyzed from an additional viewpoint. Different trends by school size, by region and between coeducational and boys/girls schools were found.