Should faith determine the school your child attends?
Nov 10, 2009
ISMA is five years old. Ever since he enrolled for nursery, he comes home singing a different Christian hymn. On several occasions, he teaches his two-year-old brother to pray as they do at school. What happens when a child goes to a school that advocates
By Harriet Birungi
ISMA is five years old. Ever since he enrolled for nursery, he comes home singing a different Christian hymn. On several occasions, he teaches his two-year-old brother to pray as they do at school. Once, when he sang for his mother Baby Jesus, she shut him up with a stern warning. “In Islam, we do not sing when worshipping and you should never do it again,†she said.
What happens when a child goes to a school that advocates a different religion from their own?
Fr. Lawrence Kanyike, the chaplain Makerere University, says parents who take their children to schools that practise a different religion, try to separate life from religion, yet these two should be intertwined. This makes children think that school has nothing to do with life, thereby encouraging textbook studying and no lifeskills.
The end result is a working class whose conduct does not depict their education and moral values. Kanyike compares the civil servant of the past with that of today.
“In the past, because people went to schools of their religious affiliations, they had religious values that were in line with their education which helped them serve their country better,†he argues.
For the children, it causes confusion, explains Kanyike, because they pray differently from what is required by their own religions and tend to underlook certain values that are held dear at home. For instance, a Muslim raised in a Christian school, will not take praying five times a day seriously.
Kanyike says many students request him to help them convert to Catholicism because they went to Catholic schools. “They understand Catholic principles better,†says Kanyike.
He appeals to parents to be responsible by doing what is right for their children. Doing right is taking the children to schools where they will not only get textbook material but also have religious values instilled in them.
“This will give them a point of reference as they will know where they belong,†he says. He reasons that it may be okay to take an Anglican child to a Catholic school as they have the same principles, but not for a Muslim to go a Christian school and vice-versa.
However, Ruth Matoya, a counselling psychologist, says it is fine for children to go to schools of a different religion. It gives them a chance to not only discover themselves, but also respect other religious beliefs. She explains that all religions have common basic teachings. For instance, they all forbid killing and stealing.
“So as a school, it is important to emphasise and respect the good religious teachings so that you produce children who are complete. It is also important to find a school with good values and traditions so that the children not only excel in academics, but in all spheres of life.â€
Matoya says teachers should remember to compare without judgment. For example, you may say in Christianity you marry one wife, but in Islam you may marry four. But do not go on to criticise and make one practice seem bad. Such remarks may lower the esteem of a child of the religion you condemn.
Mbazira Swaibu, the head teacher Lubiri Secondary School, says it is good for students to enroll in schools whose religious affiliations are different from theirs as it gives them a chance to understand and respect each other’s beliefs — a source of harmonious living.
Going to a school of a different religious affiliation creates harmony and respect for other religions and eliminates segregation when one gets to understand the other religion. Citing the current divide between the Arab and Western worlds, Mbazira says it is because they both do not understand each other’s religious practices.
He argues that schools should cater for all religions because when students do not practice any religion, they become unruly. Such tendencies have bred practices like homosexuality, lesbianism which religions are very much against, he says.
Religion inculcates morality in youngsters, the nation’s future leaders, says Mbazira. If a child does not go to a mainstream school, then having patrons to guide them on religious matters will help.
“Students spend a great amount of time at school and less with parents, so the school should cater for their spirituality,†he adds.
Since religious education is a component of the syllabus at different levels, some schools use this as a licence to inculcate different religions. However, Annet Nanfuka, a subject specialist religious education at the National Curriculum Development Centre, says the curriculum does not aim at indoctrination.
“The content of the religious education curriculum at all levels aims at giving morals and teaching ethics. It gives the students factual, not spiritual information,†Nanfuka says.
While some schools push faith down students’ throats, the Ministry of Education expects religious tolerance. Aggrey Kibenge, the spokesperson, says they expect schools to respect a child’s faith and allow them to practice it at school. He, however, cautions that there are some schools that are exclusively for certain religious sects.
“If faith issues are made clear to parents during admission, it shouldn’t become a problem later. Children’s faith should be respected and there should be no intimidation,†Kibenge says.
How can children of different religious backgrounds be shown respect?
Matoya cites things like:
Not giving Muslims pork
Not letting non-Muslims go hungry during fasting season in a Muslim school.
Not belittling or making fun of the other children
Not trying to convert them to another faith as it raises doubt.
Parents, Matoya advises, need to know that their children will question what they believe and will also notice any inconsistency in either religious leaders or their parents, and they will ask questions. But the parent’s reaction may force a child to convert to another religion, or not practise any religion at all. So it is important to be consistent in the religion you practise.
Parents should also not force their children to accept what they say as it will only be a matter of time before they grow up and choose only what they want to believe in.
Additional reporting by Jamesa Wagwau
How some schools deal with the issue
Pastor Samuel Mwebaza, the youth chaplaincy and communication director, Adventist Union of Uganda, says the way students are treated depends on the school.
“If it is a public school, where the school is not founded on a specific religion, religious leaders from different faiths should be brought in. This is because in such schools, students may not have regular prayer meetings,†he explains.
However, the administration should ensure that bringing in religious leaders to guide students does not conflict with the school calendar. Using the example of Adventist founded schools, Mwebaza says they require that all students conform to Adventist practices.
And this involves having prayer meetings weekly or twice a week. As a rule, all students must attend these meetings irrespective of what faith one is. However, after such meetings, a chaplain is availed to take care of the interests of everyone in one-on-one counselling.
ISMA is five years old. Ever since he enrolled for nursery, he comes home singing a different Christian hymn. On several occasions, he teaches his two-year-old brother to pray as they do at school. Once, when he sang for his mother Baby Jesus, she shut him up with a stern warning. “In Islam, we do not sing when worshipping and you should never do it again,†she said.
What happens when a child goes to a school that advocates a different religion from their own?
Fr. Lawrence Kanyike, the chaplain Makerere University, says parents who take their children to schools that practise a different religion, try to separate life from religion, yet these two should be intertwined. This makes children think that school has nothing to do with life, thereby encouraging textbook studying and no lifeskills.
The end result is a working class whose conduct does not depict their education and moral values. Kanyike compares the civil servant of the past with that of today.
“In the past, because people went to schools of their religious affiliations, they had religious values that were in line with their education which helped them serve their country better,†he argues.
For the children, it causes confusion, explains Kanyike, because they pray differently from what is required by their own religions and tend to underlook certain values that are held dear at home. For instance, a Muslim raised in a Christian school, will not take praying five times a day seriously.
Kanyike says many students request him to help them convert to Catholicism because they went to Catholic schools. “They understand Catholic principles better,†says Kanyike.
He appeals to parents to be responsible by doing what is right for their children. Doing right is taking the children to schools where they will not only get textbook material but also have religious values instilled in them.
“This will give them a point of reference as they will know where they belong,†he says. He reasons that it may be okay to take an Anglican child to a Catholic school as they have the same principles, but not for a Muslim to go a Christian school and vice-versa.
However, Ruth Matoya, a counselling psychologist, says it is fine for children to go to schools of a different religion. It gives them a chance to not only discover themselves, but also respect other religious beliefs. She explains that all religions have common basic teachings. For instance, they all forbid killing and stealing.
“So as a school, it is important to emphasise and respect the good religious teachings so that you produce children who are complete. It is also important to find a school with good values and traditions so that the children not only excel in academics, but in all spheres of life.â€
Matoya says teachers should remember to compare without judgment. For example, you may say in Christianity you marry one wife, but in Islam you may marry four. But do not go on to criticise and make one practice seem bad. Such remarks may lower the esteem of a child of the religion you condemn.
Mbazira Swaibu, the head teacher Lubiri Secondary School, says it is good for students to enroll in schools whose religious affiliations are different from theirs as it gives them a chance to understand and respect each other’s beliefs — a source of harmonious living.
Going to a school of a different religious affiliation creates harmony and respect for other religions and eliminates segregation when one gets to understand the other religion. Citing the current divide between the Arab and Western worlds, Mbazira says it is because they both do not understand each other’s religious practices.
He argues that schools should cater for all religions because when students do not practice any religion, they become unruly. Such tendencies have bred practices like homosexuality, lesbianism which religions are very much against, he says.
Religion inculcates morality in youngsters, the nation’s future leaders, says Mbazira. If a child does not go to a mainstream school, then having patrons to guide them on religious matters will help.
“Students spend a great amount of time at school and less with parents, so the school should cater for their spirituality,†he adds.
Since religious education is a component of the syllabus at different levels, some schools use this as a licence to inculcate different religions. However, Annet Nanfuka, a subject specialist religious education at the National Curriculum Development Centre, says the curriculum does not aim at indoctrination.
“The content of the religious education curriculum at all levels aims at giving morals and teaching ethics. It gives the students factual, not spiritual information,†Nanfuka says.
While some schools push faith down students’ throats, the Ministry of Education expects religious tolerance. Aggrey Kibenge, the spokesperson, says they expect schools to respect a child’s faith and allow them to practice it at school. He, however, cautions that there are some schools that are exclusively for certain religious sects.
“If faith issues are made clear to parents during admission, it shouldn’t become a problem later. Children’s faith should be respected and there should be no intimidation,†Kibenge says.
How can children of different religious backgrounds be shown respect?
Matoya cites things like:
Parents, Matoya advises, need to know that their children will question what they believe and will also notice any inconsistency in either religious leaders or their parents, and they will ask questions. But the parent’s reaction may force a child to convert to another religion, or not practise any religion at all. So it is important to be consistent in the religion you practise.
Parents should also not force their children to accept what they say as it will only be a matter of time before they grow up and choose only what they want to believe in.
Additional reporting by Jamesa Wagwau
How some schools deal with the issue
Pastor Samuel Mwebaza, the youth chaplaincy and communication director, Adventist Union of Uganda, says the way students are treated depends on the school.
“If it is a public school, where the school is not founded on a specific religion, religious leaders from different faiths should be brought in. This is because in such schools, students may not have regular prayer meetings,†he explains.
However, the administration should ensure that bringing in religious leaders to guide students does not conflict with the school calendar. Using the example of Adventist founded schools, Mwebaza says they require that all students conform to Adventist practices.
And this involves having prayer meetings weekly or twice a week. As a rule, all students must attend these meetings irrespective of what faith one is. However, after such meetings, a chaplain is availed to take care of the interests of everyone in one-on-one counselling.