Simon considers a seminal document on education from the Roman Catholic Church, Gravissimum Educationis
In 1965, during the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church issued a declaration that would shape its approach to education for generations to come. Gravissimum Educationis (Declaration on Christian Education) remains a foundational text, addressing not just Catholic schooling but the universal right to education itself.
Education as a Human Right
The document opens with a profound statement: every person, regardless of race, condition, or age, possesses an inalienable right to education. This education must respect human dignity while developing physical, moral, and intellectual gifts harmoniously. The declaration emphasizes that true education aims at forming the whole person—preparing individuals not just for personal fulfillment but for active participation in society and pursuit of the common good.
The Family Comes First
One of the document’s most striking principles is its emphasis on parents as the “primary and principal educators” of their children. The family is described as the first school of social virtues, where children learn faith, worship, and love of neighbor. This parental primacy isn’t merely symbolic—the declaration insists that parents must have genuine freedom to choose schools according to their conscience, with public support ensuring this liberty is real, not merely theoretical.
A Vision for Catholic Schools
While affirming education’s universal scope, Gravissimum Educationis articulates a distinctive vision for Catholic schools. These institutions should create an atmosphere “animated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and charity,” where secular knowledge is illumined by faith. The goal isn’t to retreat from the world but to prepare students for service both in earthly society and in spreading God’s kingdom.
Notably, the document emphasizes that Catholic schools depend almost entirely on their teachers. It calls for educators who are thoroughly prepared in both secular and religious knowledge, who work in partnership with parents, and who bear witness to Christ through their lives as much as their instruction.
Higher Education and Scholarship
The declaration extends its vision to universities and colleges, calling for institutions where faith and reason harmonize. Catholic higher education should pursue knowledge according to rigorous academic principles while maintaining a Christian perspective. The document encourages scientific research, international cooperation among universities, and special attention to students from emerging nations.
A Call for Cooperation
Perhaps most prophetically for our interconnected age, Gravissimum Educationis emphasizes cooperation—between Catholic schools, between these schools and other educational institutions, and across national boundaries. The declaration recognizes that education’s challenges require collaborative responses, with different institutions and societies working together for the common good.
Enduring Relevance
Nearly six decades later, this document continues to resonate. Its insistence on education as a human right, on parental primacy, on the integration of faith and learning, and on cooperation across boundaries addresses concerns still pressing today. In an age of educational inequality, ideological polarization, and rapid technological change, Gravissimum Educationis offers a vision of education that is both deeply rooted in Christian tradition and remarkably forward-looking in its embrace of human dignity and intellectual freedom.