O level Notes : FRS - Religion In Formal Education

Indigenous  religion  plays a pivotal  role in promoting  informal education  among people. This chapter focuses on the positive and negative impact of religion in formal education as well as demonstrating the role of Indigenous religion in informal education.

RELIGION IN FORMAL EDUCATION

Formal education refers to a systematic, organised education model which is structured and administered according  to a given  set of laws and norms, presenting  a rather rigid  curriculum  with clear stipulated objectives, content and methodology. Education refers to the acquisition  of knowledge  and learning of skills. Education helps to shape beliefs and moral values. It can be the influence that is exercised by adults deliberately upon the young.

Education  can lead to changes  in human  skills, lead to change  in productivity  and social mobility  to a considerable  extent. It can also be defined as the process of teaching  somebody  especially in a school, college, or university. In other words, it is the knowledge, skills and understanding  that one gets from attending a school or college. Education can change through time. There are many types of education such as formal and non-formal education.

Positive impact of religion on formal education

• Many schools and universities have been built by different religions and bringing education to the people. There are many missionary schools in Zimbabwe  like Mukaro Mission which is a Roman Catholic School.
• Familiarisation  of  world  religions  has  been  witnessed  in  the  country.  The  new  curriculum  of Zimbabwean  schools now teaches Islam, Christianity, Indigenous religion and Judaism.

• This has led to tolerance and acceptance of people with different religious beliefs.
• Religion  generally  provides  counselling  and this has helped  learners with stress and depression management skills.

• Religiously, bad deeds are viewed as sins and learners avoid them thereby creating  a crimeless society.
• Religion has reduced religiously motivated hate crimes. It has been noted that parents whose children attended worship at least weekly were less likely to be contacted by their children’s school about behaviour problems than parents whose children worshipped less frequently. Religious practice is a positive force for staying on track in school.
• Religion also promotes social responsibility for example Islam through almsgiving (Zakat).
• The greater the parents’ religious involvement, the more likely they would have higher educational expectations for their children and communicate with their children about their education.

• Youth participation  in religious activities promotes friendships that aid and encourage  academic achievement and engagement.

• Structured and well organised after school activities, including religious activities, are also associated with  better  educational  outcomes.  Extra-curricular  church  activities  help  youths  reduce  those problem behaviours that put their academic attainment at risk.

• Religiously involved students spend most of their time doing homework, work harder in school and achieve better results. Research done has proved that those who attended religious  services do much better in their studies.

• Frequent religious attendance correlates with lower dropout rates and greater school attachment.

Negative effects of religion on formal education

• Causes cultural changes amongst learners. For example, children may end up changing their culture of respecting family members by adopting  religious  parents like in Christianity where a spiritual father is found.
• Some religions are labelled as evil for example Christians label Indigenous religion as demon worship. This is a negative impact of religion in formal education.

• Labelling  believers is noted as some believers are labelled as sinners if they commit sins. This is common in Christianity where there is a lot of stigma on people who are non-believers.

• Some schools are single religion schools and learners end up not having a chance to interact with others from other religions and they end up being monomaniacs or fundamentalists.

• Some students are judged for being different.
• When a student’s religion is not shared by the majority of the people at school some religious rights of such students would be violated.

INDIGENOUS RELIGION IN INFORMAL EDUCATION

In Indigenous  religion  (IR) informal education  has been the source of education  to many communities before the advent of formal education in different societies. The child in IR was taught by the elders, they also learnt through experienced and interaction with others. All these for an African child provided the skills, values, attitudes and knowledge that was important in their day to day activities.

The major focus of IR was how an individual survived, that is to hunt, how a female was to behave in the society among  other skills. The home in IR is where all the teachings  came from. Good acceptable living standards were instilled from a tender age. All these encourages unity among members of a community. The concept of Unhu, Ubuntu or Vumunhu are taught and elaborated in informal education.

Role of Indigenous religion in informal education

Indigenous  religion helped in informal education by teaching survival skills through experiences and the young  are taught how to adapt to the environment by finding out means of surviving  on their own. For example, a young boy is taught fishing by actually participating in fishing by the elders.

• In informal education, IR encouraged children to learn what they lived. For example, a young girl was to learn motherly duties like cooking by observing as well as being taught by the mother.
• In informal education, Indigenous religion encourages togetherness and unity among people.
• It inculcated good morals, these include respecting the elders.
• IR encouragedcorporation rather thancompetition. For example, children’sgameslike chamuhwande muhwande (hide and seek game) encourage teamwork and cooperation as children search for each other.
• In IR education  was based  on  the values  that reflected the community’s  aims  and  objectives.

These values include, harmony, generosity, respect for older persons, human life, these values are inseparable.