ABSTRACT

Owing to the mixed-bag effects of religion on society, and particularly South Africa’s history with religion as embedded in the oppression of and liberation from apartheid, a recent curricular review has seen the introduction of teaching about religion in the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum. From our standpoint as academics in Religion Education, we question whether the current curricular arrangement is potent enough to carry the mandate of the National Policy on Religion and Education (hereafter referred to as the religion policy) of promoting religious literacy. To answer this question, we subjected the LO curriculum to content analysis, assessing the underlying content and pedagogical assumptions within the frame of scholarship in religious literacy. While doing so, we make critical reference to the religion policy with the aim of reflecting on government’s intentions with RE in schools.

摘要

由于宗教对社会的混杂影响，尤其是南非的历史，宗教被嵌入种族隔离的压迫和解放中，因此最近的课程审查显示在生命定向（LO）课程中引入了有关宗教的教学。从我们作为宗教教育学者的观点出发，我们质疑当前的课程安排是否足够有效以履行《国家宗教和教育政策》（以下简称“宗教政策”）的任务，以促进宗教素养。为了回答这个问题，我们对LO课程进行了内容分析，在宗教素养的学术框架内评估了基础内容和教学假设。在这样做的同时，