----- Mensaje reenviado ----
De: Jose Martin Rueda <jose.martin@...>
Para: BIOEVO@...
Enviado: jueves 6 de marzo de 2008, 7:25:25
Asunto: [BIOEVO] Rumania elimina la evolucion de la enseñanza

Hola a todos


Me ha llegado la noticia de que el gobierno rumano ha prohibido enseñar la
evolucion en los colegios publicos. Un grupo de gente de alli ha escrito una
"open letter" y esta recopilando firmas internacionales para protestar.


Os pego abajo un resumen de la situacion en ingles y los links a las
noticias y a la open letter, por si quereis colaborar (dada nuestra previa
experiencia con los de las charlas creacionistas en la universidad)


Esperemos que esta lucha contra la evolucion no se difunda por el mundo.


Jose Martin
Dept. Ecologia Evolutiva
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC)
Madrid
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Romania doesn't accept the Evolution!


The elimination from public school curricula of one of the most important
and influential scientific theories and of critical philosophical
perspectives on religion constitutes a grave threat to the students' right
to information and education. It is a sufficient reason to remove Romania
from the map of countries with a respectable, modern and competitive system
of secondary education. Ironicaly, over the past months, an ample public
debate on the educational reform in this country and on the new bills on
education has been underway. But to violate the students'right to
information and education in the manner outlined above effectively voids any
principled discourse on reform in Romanian education.
      The Romanian authorities through Order no. 5959 of 12.22.2006
(Appendix 2), signed by former minister of education and research Mihail
Hãrdãu, had eliminated the theory of evolution from the public schools
curricula. In the old biology curricula, valid until the 2006-07 academic
year, information on the theory of evolution represented about 15 percent of
the informational volume for the 11th and 12th forms (depending on the type
of high school). The curricula contained, under the History of Life
section, themes such as: General presentation of classical and modern
theories concerning the origins and evolution of life, Outline of primitive
organisms, Proofs of evolution (paleontology, comparative anatomy,
comparative embryology, comparative biochemistry), The evolution of man,
Mechanisms of speciation (selection, determining factors and types of
selection, intra- and inter-specific speciation).
    They banned not only the teaching of evolution in the schools, but they
even banned the teachings of some great philosophers too, such as Voltaire,
Epicurus, Nietzsche, or Camus. The old philosophy curriculum, under the
chapter 'God' offered young men and women the opportunity to study both
religiously-inspired philosophical views (such as those of Pascal or Thomas
Aquinas), as well as critical perspectives on religion.
    And of course, they started to teach religion as an obligatory subject!
During the mandatory 10 years of school students are often familiarized,
during confessional religion classes, exclusively with the literal Biblical
conception of the world, according to which God created the world in 7 days,
woman was created out of one of Adam's ribs, and so on. In religion
textbooks, the theory of evolution is presented as an error of modern
science. According to one recent study commissioned by the government, only
14 percent of Romanian students regard evolutionism as a correct theory. In
the religion handbooks, the students can learn about the recommended
punishments for all the sins, using inquisitorial procedures! Some "minor"
quotations from the religion handbooks for the Romanian students: "yoga is
the work of Demons", "if you don't make the sign of cross when you pass in
the front of a church you will have immediately a car accident"!
You are invited to sign the open letter of the Humanism Foundation - The
Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience (www.humanism.ro), as a private
individual or as an authorized representative of an institution or an NGO,
by sending us an email at freedomofconscience@... (contact person:
Remus Cernea, executive director) no later than Monday, 24 March 2008.
Please make the media aware of this letter. The more written on it in the
international press, the easier it will be to put pressure on Romanian
authorities.


Related Links:
Romania removes theory of evolution from school curriculum
http://www.thediplomat.ro/reports_1207.php


Resolution 1580 (2007) - The dangers of creationism in education
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/ERES1580.htm


Romanian authorities in severe violation of the rights to freedom of
conscience, thought and religion
http://www.humanism.ro/articles.php?page=62&article=199


Open letter to Gore Vidal
http://www.humanism.ro/articles.php?page=62&article=222



Istvan SAS
Department of Biology,
University of Oradea, Romania

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