During the Apartheid era, the White Afrikaner Nationalist Party government used religion to divide and to discriminate along racial, ethnic and religious lines. Even non-Calvinist and non-White Christians from all denominations were discriminated against. The abuse of religion for divisive, oppressive and racial discriminatory purposes under Apartheid has cast a dark shadow in the history of our country. In education, in particular, the pernicious ideology of so-called Christian National Education (CNE) was used as an instrument of cultural and political control.
On the other hand, those who were oppressed or discriminated against used religion as a powerful means to free them from the oppressive system of Apartheid. The demise of Apartheid came about largely as a consequence of the dynamism of religion, which provided the spiritual and moral resources and the vision and the hope for the freedom struggle.
Religious education in Apartheid played a dual function. It was a tool of oppression for the State and a means of empowerment for the oppressed masses in the liberation movement.
Religion in Post-Apartheid South Africa and the Role of the State
With the establishment in 1994 of a non-racial and democratic South Africa, the ANC led government accepted the responsibility for creating and sustaining a society in which all religious persuasions enjoyed the freedom to function, without prejudice. The new government has adopted a position of non-alignment to any religious tradition or denomination. Unlike the Apartheid dispensation which privileged Calvinistic Christianity, the current South African Constitution guarantees 'freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion'. In terms of the National Education Policy Act of 1996 "Every learner and educator shall have the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, speech and expression and the education process shall promote a culture of tolerance". Religious Observances at public schools have been ensured through the South African Schools Act of 1996. The latter offers guarantees for the conducting of religious observances at public schools provided that such practices are done fairly and attendance at them by learners and members of staff is free and optional. The new Constitution also provides for the establishment of a commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.
Religious Education and Curriculum 2005
The new educational authorities have come to realise that to address the educational inequalities and injustices of the past, it was necessary to adjust and transform the educational system. In the past, under Christian-National Education, all schools had to teach Bible Studies, as a part of the curriculum.
The new South African Education Policy is an Outcomes Based Curriculum (OBE) which consists of eight Learning Areas. In each Learning Area, specific outcomes are aimed for. It is currently being implemented in South African schools and should be completed in all educational levels and grades by the year 2000. When one studies Curriculum 2005 and its Outcomes, it is evident that religion in education forms an integral part of the curriculum. It is evident from the specified outcomes that Religious Education can be dealt with in each Learning Area.
Some of these outcomes are to:
Conclusion
Our current Outcomes Based Education system together with our new religious education policy provides the space for the adoption and implementation of a multi-religious education programme through which our children can develop tolerance and respect for each other's religious traditions and cultural practices. In this new approach to religious education the children are taught that religion is not only about loving God but also about loving your neighbour. The inclusion of religion in our education system is aimed at encouraging solid knowledge about one's own tradition as well as encouraging deep respect and understanding for all the religions in our pluralistic society.
Fajwah Abrahams is a Muslim woman and works as a teacher in Cape Town, South Africa.