The teaching of religious education in White state schools in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, with special reference to the province of Natal

Abstract

There have been persistent allegations that the South African political authorities misused religious education (RE) during the years that Christian National Education (CNE) philosophy held sway, in order to achieve political ends. In this article, an attempt is made to locate and evaluate evidence that will demonstrate whether or not the authorities had, in addition to the stated religious aims, supplementary non-religious and non-educational ends in view through the teaching of RE in White, government schools in the province of Natal over the period 1948–1994. An examination of legislation appeared to confirm that there was a measure of political interference from national government in the formulation of policy in respect of the teaching of RE. However, an analysis of syllabuses, study guides, school textbooks and teaching practice suggested that the Natal Education Department exhibited little enthusiasm for the practical implementation of CNE-orientated legislation. There was virtually no unambiguous evidence that the Department misused the teaching of RE in order to achieve inappropriate, political or other outcomes. In any event, the apathy or hostility of many teachers towards RE frequently prevented it from being taught effectively.