BAN ON OTHER RELIGIONS IN SCHOOLS

Madam,

In as much as knowing about these religions would broaden pupils’ perspectives and understanding, no ways should the teaching of other religions imposed on pupils. As most would argue that the ban of other religions being taught in classrooms is a violation on one’s constitutional right to freedom of choice and conscience, there is nowhere in the Constitution where it states that the teaching of other religions should be made compulsory. 

The Constitution allows them to be practiced, not ‘taught’ as some have erroneously slipped into that thinking. My point of argument is that the RE curriculum content is too much for children at primary level if we are to create a Christian base for the pupils. The multi-religious concepts they will be exposed to at their early age will brainwash them. 

Christianity

These are young children who need to assimilate the basic teachings and beliefs to cement their Christian faith. Are other religions’ children taught the basic principles of Christianity at a tender age? 

Why are we adamant to indoctrinate our children with that which is alien at a critical age? Do all national syllabi in other countries include the teaching of ‘other’ religions? Should this be imposed on pupils when they don’t even have the capacity to make informed choices and decisions?

Someone once argued that introducing the religions at tertiary level would be pointless since some would end up not going to college or university. That’s 100 per cent true, but do all pupils at high school learn RE? 

It’s optional and not all choose to learn it. Let’s give our children what is basic to anchor their beliefs and teachings in Christianity before we give them that which we think will foster multi-national harmony. Government had the leeway to introduce other religions to the school curriculum in a bid to foster religious tolerance among Eswatini children, but it soon realised that the teaching of these was inappropriate, so it decided to ban them. 

As far as I am concerned, I see no logic in feeding pupils extreme religious ideas and beliefs at an early age. Do we want to proselytise our children to the various faiths? In other religions proselytism is tantamount to treason; the society disowns the proselyte. Let’s think carefully about it before we rush to criticise the government that introduced the ban.  

S Shabangu

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