‘Ethics’ is now an officially established alternative subject to Religious Education for students who have been granted an exemption from Religious Education. Religious Education is neither abolished nor replaced by the new subject.

Ethics will be taught from 3rd grade of primary school through 12th grade, across all types of schools.

This is the first time a complete, continuous Ethics Education curriculum has been created, covering almost the entire school journey of a child. The two subjects — Religious Education and Ethics — exist in parallel within the education system, with the Ministry of Education explicitly stating that, based on the case law of the Council of State, they are two distinct subjects.

More specifically, according to the Ministry of Education, Christian Orthodox students attend Religious Education, while students who are not Christian Orthodox and are granted an exemption from it attend Ethics, in accordance with the existing framework.

As the Ministry stressed, one does not substitute or replace the other in the sense of a general change to the subject for all students.

What exactly is ‘Ethics’?

The Institute of Educational Policy describes Ethics as an alternative subject to Religious Education for students who are granted an exemption, as mentioned above. Its general purpose is the comprehensive development of the child as a responsible, active and democratic citizen, with respect for themselves, others and the environment.

Within Ethics, no particular religious faith is taught. Instead, the curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, argumentation, the ability to engage in dialogue, ethical reflection, empathy, justice, responsibility, solidarity, respect for rights, recognition and understanding of diversity, and decision-making skills.

The Ethics Curriculum for lower secondary school itself states that a key characteristic of the subject is introducing students to ethical-philosophical thought and the practical dimension of ethical issues. Particular emphasis is placed on “open” questions, meaning questions that do not always have an obvious or single answer.

Therefore, key elements of the new Ethics subject are philosophical inquiry, comparison of arguments and the ability of students to justify their positions. Its teaching is linked to religious freedom, freedom of conscience, critical thinking and the development of democratic citizenship.

It is not an ‘atheism class’

Ethics was not designed as an “anti-religious” subject. The Primary School Curriculum refers to ethical thought and action, issues of justice, diversity, rights, responsibility, tolerance and empathy. The aim is for students to be able to connect values, attitudes and behaviors and examine issues through the logic of democratic coexistence.

In lower secondary school, likewise, the subject has a more philosophical character, with an emphasis on ethical thinking and the examination of open questions. Thus, the basic idea is not to give students a new list of “right” and “wrong” behaviors, but to teach them to identify an ethical problem, examine different perspectives and be able to formulate arguments.

Stelios Virvidakis, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and supervisor of the work of the writing team for the Ethics subject, has described it as a subject resembling philosophy, with elements of Civics, as it includes normative dimensions.

According to him, issues addressed within the Ethics curriculum include rights, social relations, equality, gender issues, contemporary social challenges, technology and artificial intelligence. More complex topics are developed in the higher grades, from lower secondary school through upper secondary school.

The timing of the subject’s introduction is particularly interesting, according to educators at the Institute of Educational Policy.

Schools are now confronted with issues that did not exist just a few years ago, such as artificial intelligence, deepfakes, personal data, online identity, cyberbullying, algorithmic decision-making, misinformation, bioethics, the environment and technological responsibility.

Within this context, a subject that teaches students to ask meaningful questions may acquire particular importance in the modern school environment. The Ethics Curriculum itself, after all, approaches ethics not as a set of ready-made answers, but as a process of thinking, dialogue and evaluating arguments.

From 3rd Grade of Primary School to 12th Grade

Ethics is taught from 3rd grade of primary school through 12th grade, according to the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP).

Specifically, in primary education, a standalone curriculum has already been established for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades through a ministerial decision published in November 2025. In secondary education, the framework was completed in 2026 with the assignment of subjects, teaching procedures and examinations.

In practical terms, students will receive a regular grade for Ethics on their term report, but the subject will not be included in the end-of-year written in-school examinations.

Which students will attend Ethics?

Ethics concerns exclusively students who have been granted an exemption from Religious Education. This development is directly linked to the case law of the Council of State.

Decisions 1749/2019 and 1750/2019 of the Plenary of the Council of State, as the IEP notes, recognize the right to full exemption from Religious Education for students who do not adhere to the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church and provide for the State’s obligation, provided that a sufficient number of students is reached, to offer an equivalent subject.

Against this institutional background, Ethics is not presented by the Ministry as an “opposing” subject to Religious Education, but as the educational solution for students who do not attend Religious Education.

In August 2026, Ministerial Decision 108070/D2/13-08-2026 was issued and published in Government Gazette B’ 5231/18.08.2026, establishing the way Ethics will be taught in lower secondary schools and general upper secondary schools.

The basic requirement is numerical: in order for an Ethics class to be created, at least 10 students per grade who have been granted an exemption from Religious Education are required. If there is only one class in a grade, students attending Religious Education and those who have been granted an exemption and attend Ethics are taught during the same period, but in separate classrooms.

In schools with more than one class, a different method of grouping is provided for, depending on the number of students who have been granted an exemption. The decision also specifies what happens when the required ten students are not reached or when the number is reached after the fifth day following the start of classes.

In such cases, the procedures provided for the educational engagement of the students are applied.

Who will teach Ethics?

Another issue that has sparked debate concerns the teachers who will be responsible for the subject. Under the decision on subject assignments from the 2026–2027 school year, the primary teaching assignment for Ethics in lower secondary schools and general upper secondary schools was given to the PE01 category, namely Theology teachers.

The secondary assignment is given to teachers in the PE02, PE33 and PE78 categories, namely Philologists, Methodology, History and Theory of Science (MITHΕ) teachers, and Social Sciences teachers, respectively.

This choice has been the subject of public debate and parliamentary interventions. Teachers and theological organizations have supported assigning the subject to Theology teachers, arguing that they have an academic connection to issues of religion, worldviews, values and ethics.

On the other hand, the very nature of the subject — which includes philosophical thought, social and ethical dilemmas, rights, argumentation and different worldviews — has prompted discussion over which academic specialization is most appropriate and what training is required.

The new school textbooks have not yet been completed

A lesser-known but particularly important development concerns the educational material. In May 2026, the IEP launched the process for developing digital material packages and school textbooks for Ethics from 3rd grade of primary school through 12th grade, as well as training material for Education Advisors. A total budget of €188,500 was allocated for the project, distributed across the 2026 and 2027 financial years: €80,000 for 2026 and €108,500 for 2027.

Consequently, the institutional framework has moved forward, but at the same time the production of the complete educational infrastructure required for the subject to operate in a unified and organized manner across all levels of education is still underway.

The objections raised by Theology teachers

In its unanimous resolution, the School of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens warned of the risk of “religious illiteracy” among students who attend Ethics exclusively, as they will not have the same exposure to religious history and culture. Ioannis Panagiotopoulos, Professor and head of the Department of Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, expressed the concern over “religious literacy” in his public statement following the department’s unanimous resolution.

More specifically, the Department of Theology argues that the new Ethics subject is excessively oriented toward normative and philosophical principles and is detached from the historical and cultural background of religions.

According to Professor Panagiotopoulos, an alternative subject should have a stronger focus on the study of religions and factual information, be objective and neutral, and be “equivalent and relevant” to Religious Education. While he does not oppose the teaching of Ethics, he argues that the subject can serve as an alternative option, but should maintain a connection with the academic subject matter of Religious Education.

“There is no philosophy without religious inquiry, and there is no theology without philosophical thought,” he has said.

For his part, Heraklis Rerakis, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Pastoral and Social Theology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and president of the Panhellenic Union of Theologians, recognizes the need for the subject to operate objectively and without proselytization. Specifically, he has argued that Ethics should focus on ethical codes and ethical life, without any attempt at proselytization.