National Policy on RELIGION AND EDUCATION
http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=70211
some interresting tidbits:
the relationship between religion and education must be guided by the following principles: * Public institutions have a responsibility to teach about religion and religions in ways that reflect a profound appreciation of the spiritual, non-material aspects of life, but which are different from the religious education, religious instruction, or religious nurture provided by the home, family, and religious community [i](may i have that in english please[/i]) * Teaching about religion, religions, and religious diversity needs to be facilitated by trained professionals, and programmes in Religion Education must be supported by appropriate and credible teaching and learning materials, and objective assessment criteria.
Our Constitution has worked out a careful balance between freedom for religious belief and expression and freedom from religious coercion and discrimination. On the one hand, by ensuring that “Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief, and opinion”, the Constitution2 guarantees freedom of and for religion, and citizens are free to exercise their basic right to religious conviction, expression, and association. On the other hand, by ensuring equality in the enjoyment of all the rights, privileges, and benefits of citizenship, the Constitution explicitly prohibits unfair discrimination on grounds that include religion, belief, and conscience. Protected from any discriminatory practices based on religion, citizens are thereby also free from any religious coercion that might be implied by the state.does this mean that schools cant force a child to attend any religious shite?
The South African Schools Act (Act 94 of 1996) upholds the constitutional rights of all citizens to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion, and freedom from unfair discrimination on any grounds whatsoever, including religion, in public education institutions.if i refused to attend any religious orientated stuff, i would have been expelled for sure. in this vein, is it unconstitutional to claim a school to be a christian school, meaning, that in this school, you will be tought christianity, like it or not.
Citizens do have the right, at their own expense, to establish independent schools, including religious schools, as long as they avoid racial discrimination, register with the state, and maintain standards that are not inferior to the standards of comparable public educational institutionsobviously not then, as long as you make it a private school.
Religion Education, with educational outcomes, is the responsibility of the schoolI have a big problem with that
Religion Education shall include teaching and learning about the religions of the world, with particular attention to the religions of South Africa, as well as worldviews, and it shall place adequate emphasis on values and moral education.what are the chances that xtians teach islam, hindu and buddhism properly, apart from making it out to be evil?
the document goes on and on, and in my opinion, basically says, you cant force religion on kids, but the school has a duty to teach religion (huh?), but you cant force a religion upon the child that’s not his (what if he has no religion), but if you want to, you can make your own school, with a specific religion, as long as it doesnt descriminate. but if its a christian school, it descriminates against hindus, jews,… erm, how does that work then?
