The Conselleria de Educación y Formación Profesional de Baleares rannounced on Thursday 15 July that it has received some 900 applications from students who want to study Islamic religion during the 2021/2022 academic year.
At a press conference, the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Martí March, explained that in the Balearic Islands “there is an important demand for this subject” and that “the citizens of this country have the right to learn their religion from school”.
In this sense, March remarked that they are applying a state regulation. In the same way that Spain has a concordat with the Santa Sede, it has also signed agreements with the Jewish, Islamic and Evangelical religions.
With regard to the Balearic Islands, Education pointed out that with the Islamic Commission it was agreed that Islam would be taught in a maximum of ten schools in the Balearic Islands, but that the pilot test will only be carried out in two or three schools in Mallorca. One or two teachers will be hired for this purpose, which the schools will have to share.
The Conselleria stated that this month will specify the centers in which the pilot test will be done and that the main criterion that will follow will be those with the most applications.
With regard to recruitment, Education will set requirements that they have a university degree, that they have completed the master’s degree in teaching and that they have a qualification in Catalan. In addition, they will need authorisation from the Islamic Commission, “in the same way that a Christian religion teacher needs authorisation from the bishopric”.