“Ethics” is the new subject that replaces “Religious Studies in Greek schools aimed at students who choose to be exempted from the particular study.
From the 2026-2027 school year, the new subject of “Ethics” will be introduced in Greek schools. The particular subject is aimed at students who choose to be exempted from the Religious Studies subject (Θρησκευτικά). The Ministry of Education relevant decision 149259/GD4/2025 was published in the official Government Gazette 6259/21.11.2025 and determines the curriculum and content of the subject.
“Ethics” will be taught to students from the 3rd grade through all grades of Middle School and High School. The teaching hours will be equivalent to those of Religious Studies, which it replaces.
With this subject, the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports aims to include in the school curriculum a subject with a European and international character for students who do not wish to attend Religious Studies.
According to the Government Gazette, the Ethics subject course covers social, existential and philosophical issues, regardless of religious or ideological beliefs. In high school, it introduces students to philosophical and ethical thinking, focusing on “open” questions and the development of argumentation.
Content and objectives
The objective of the Ethics program is to strengthen critical thinking and clear oral and written expression. Particular emphasis is placed on the distinction between:
– Normative Ethics (rules, criteria of correctness, regulation of behavior)
– Metaethics (nature of moral judgment, objectivity, ontological bases)
The course focuses mainly on the normative approach, without excluding metaethical discussions.
The Ethics course in all grades of High School constitutes an introductory “initiation” to the specificity and practical nature of moral-philosophical activity. It is important to emphasize that understanding philosophical thought requires highlighting the specificity of the “open” questions that concern it.
Regarding High School, the general objectives of the course are for students to:
a) Acquire basic knowledge of ethical theories that will provide them with the tools to be able to develop ethical reflection and handle ethical dilemmas and situations.
b) Develop psychosocially and form an autonomous personality, possessing ethical principles and values.
c) Reflect on contemporary ethical problems that concern the individual, but also society.
d) Strengthen moral literacy, not in order to learn dogmatically what has been defined in advance as right and wrong by some authority, ideology or theory.
e) Be able to evaluate alternative approaches and judge arguments and positions, in order to appreciate the complexity of ethical issues and arrive at a more elaborate reflection on what is morally right.
f) Develop critical and synthetic thinking.