Law, Education, and the Place of Religion in Dutch Public Schools

The Dutch Constitution states that officials in public schools should respect the religions of the pupils and teachers. Historically, there was no role for religion in public education in the Netherlands. After World War II, the Dutch society slowly become more religiously diverse. As an integral part of integration policies, the teaching in public education started to pay explicit attention to this pluralism. This chapter discusses the controversies that arose from these policies, using the perspective of Dutch and European fundamental rights law, answering such questions as whether educators in public schools can organize visits to churches and mosques and whether children be allowed to pray during school hours.