France will add weekly classes on "secular morals" to state school
curricula in 2015 to instil in pupils "a culture of responsibility,
equality, cooperation and solidarity," the Education Minister Vincent
Peillon announced last Monday.Secular morals (morale laïque) is not a kind of official morality, he said, but "knowledge and understanding of the values, principles and rules that permit us to live together in the Republic according to our common ideal of liberty, equality and fraternity".
French state schools have lessons in civics and morals, but an official report on the project said teachers focus mostly on civics.
Morals are perceived as too close to religion, which cannot be taught, but Mr Peillon argues that morals can be taught without any relation to faith.