Multireligious Education ‐ An Option for South Africa in the New Education System1

Abstract

In the previous political dispensation of South Africa religious education was modelled on the Christian National Education policy. After the democratic elections in 1994 many public schools in South Africa became multi‐cultural and multi‐religious. A new education model, Outcomes‐based Education, was introduced in 1997. This influenced the position and curriculum of religious education. Problematic situations surfaced in many schools where communal values and religion are regarded as non‐negotiable elements. Most of the teachers do not have skills to introduce any multi‐religious content or to facilitate multi‐cultural situations (Roux 1997). Outcomes‐based Education implies the development of skills to live meaningful lives and to respect individuals, different communities and cultures (National Department of Education 1997a). Emphasis on communal values, in order to establish an understanding and knowledge of different behaviours, religions and cultures thus become an important part of the curriculum. In this article, the position of religious education in the new education system, Outcomes‐based Education (OBE) and the school society will be discussed. 1 This is an edited version of a paper presented at the Nürnberg Forum, ‘Zukunftwiesende Begenung in Ausserschulischen Feldern’, held in Nürnberg, Germany, 9‐12 October 1997. The title of the paper was ‘Interreligiöse Erziehung im Aufbruch ‐ das Beispiel Südafrika’.