Sofia, Bulgaria - Bulgarian students and parents want an optional class on religion to be taught in schools, a survey commissioned by the country's Education Ministry showed on Wednesday.
More than 85% of the students and 70% of the adults interviewed by pollster Alfa Research said they wanted such a class.
Three quarters of the interviewees said it should focus on informing about religions, while half of the respondents said it should be optional.
The wide majority of interviewees also believe the class should be taught by qualified teachers, rather than clergymen.
Such a class could help check juvenile delinquency, aggression and drugs use, according to the survey's respondents.
Alfa Research interviewed 1,016 adults, 400 students and another 100 who already study religion as an optional subject in school.