The old regime called the National Party came into power in South Africa in 1948 through an electoral victory. Not long after, the National Party announced its plans to include the Christian National Education (CNE) in the South African educational system. The Christian National Education policy was written by the chairman of the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Societies and the Broederbond (a society dedicated to the advancement of Afrikaner interests), J.C. van Rooy. Van Rooy prefaced the policy by writing, “Our Afrikaans schools must not be merely mother-tongue schools, they must be in the true sense of the word Christian and National schools, they must be places where our children are steeped and nourished in the Christian-National spiritual cultural stuff of our nation…We do not want any mixture of languages, of culture, of religion, or of race” (CITE). The goal of religious education during this time consisted of a complete indoctrination of Christianity as well as the dismissal of any other religion or culture that did not represent Anglo-Saxon values.
The educational structure also required that school subjects be based off the teachings of the Bible, and required that all teachers were properly trained in Christianity. Even secular subjects were to be taught from a Christian perspective, and science was to be taught in a positive Christian-oriented manner. The educational goals were not only for white children, but were also aimed at non-white races. According to Article 14 of the policy, “the Afrikaner had a sacred obligation to ensure that the mixed-race ‘Coloured’ people were educated according to Christian and National principles” (Coetzee 1949, Article 14). Religion in education was also used to reinforce racist legislation and segregation. For instance, Article 15 stated, “the teaching and education of Black people should be grounded in the life and world view of the Whites, more especially those of the Afrikaners, for the Boer nation was the ‘senior European guardian of the native’” (Coetzee 1949, Article 15).
During a time of a more strict and systematic policy of apartheid, the educational system was not immune to the institution of racial segregation and discrimination. The CNE made no attempt to recognize the deep divisions and diverse cultures and religions of the country, and offer education that taught the cultures and world views of non-white races. Instead, its goal was to create a homogenous religious and cultural tradition that reflected Christian values only and favored the Afrikaners over the non-white races. The CNE of the old regime emphasized racial and cultural divisions by excluding the other countless cultures and traditions practiced by black and non-white peoples.
As early as 1992, the National Education Policy Investigation (NEPI) began preparing for the democratic transition to take place in 1994. A new role of education was widely debated and discussed as three options were considered; the first was to eliminate religion entirely from the school curriculum. This, however, was not agreed upon because many felt religion was an important factor to South Africa, and would not benefit the nation’s diverse and unique history. The second option was to instill parallel programs of religious studies in which students would select a traditional religion to study and would be instructed through that religious group. This was discussed because religious groups did not want religious instruction to be dissolved from the educational structure, but this was seen as a continuation of the discrimination and coercion of the previous regime. Although students would be allowed to select the religious instruction they wish to learn, some religions may be favored over other, namely Christianity, so those who would not choose the more “desirable” religion would be excluded and discriminated against.
The last option considered was a multi-religious education that would teach students about the different kinds of religions, instead of promoting a particular one. The argument for this was that religious instruction should be left to the responsibility of the family and the home, and school should be reserved to broadening their world view and knowledge about religions and cultures different from their own. It was felt that this would promote a better understanding and acceptance of those different from you. To come up with a solution for educational reform, the Minister of Education in 1998 Sibusiso Bengu created an advisory committee to resolve this problem. This committee, however, proved to be ineffective as it was dominated by committed Christians who made it impossible to reach a compromise. Their report refused to acknowledge a system in which students are taught about religion, and instead presented the option for local schools to be allowed to choose which religious instruction to teach their students.
The successor to Bengu was Kader Asmal who was dissatisfied with the previous advisory committee’s report. Asmal was fiercely committed to human rights and constitutional values, so he insisted on an educational policy that reflected the constitutional values of religious freedom and freedom from discrimination. Asmal formed a new committee to voice these concerns and dismiss the old committee’s report. The new advisory committee under Asmal, held a consultative conference on religion in school education in Madrid, with the assistance from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. There, it was established that teaching about religion should meet the goal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “ to promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups.” As a result, in 2002 the Department of Education announced its first objective of Religious Education to be, ““The learner should be able to demonstrate an active commitment to constitutional rights and social responsibilities and show sensitivity to diverse cultures and belief systems” (CITE).
The educational reform seen in South Africa’s post-apartheid government was not seen without backlash. Those who called themselves “Concerned Christians” vehemently opposed the new proposed educational reforms as they claimed it would deprive the kids of “divine protection.” Their main goal to was advance the kingdom of god through religious education. Concerned Christians dominated mainstream media with their discussions and open opposition to new educational reforms. For example, Professor Irmhild Horn at the University of South Africa represents the Christian opponents’ objections to teaching about different religions, including indigenous ones to South Africa. She wrote in the Journal for Christian Scholarship, ‘Many Westerners, like many black Africans, are seeking to revitalize primal beliefs.
The Internet, television, films, books and games are primary vehicles for promoting primal beliefs and practice” (Chidester 2006, p. 12) Horn represents the concerns of the Christian opponents in that they believe making the kids learn about indigenous religions, it would leave them vulnerable to being possessed by the devil. It was a common belief that indigenous religions were not legitimate and instead were based in the occult.
