RELIGION has once again created controversy, in the schooling system, after a Somerset Park mother raised concerns about the Christian based teachings at a popular Durban North school.
Tanusha Govender*, a Hindu devotee said she was horrified when her seven-year-old son recently asked her why the Hindu God, Lord Krishna “looked like the devil”. She believes that the Christian based teachings at the school has not only confused her son, but has also infringed on his constitutional rights.
“At no point did the school ask me or inform me about the religious teachings at the school. Parents should have the right to dictate what religion to teach their children, and here the unfair practices of the school has robbed me of that option,” she said.
According to Govender, when she approached the school with her concerns, she was met with indifference. “I was told that they have always incorporated Christianity into the school’s curriculum and that it was not going to change. It was like hitting a brick wall. The biggest problem is that many parents aren’t aware of the situation,” she said.
Furthermore, she said she requested a meeting with the school’s governing body to plead her case, but was promptly denied the opportunity.
Govender said her son has been excluded from Christian based lessons since she raised her concerns. She believes that this has had a negative effect on her son. “Teachers have asked him to wait outside the classroom or to entertain himself during these lessons. He is being isolated and ostracized, which is not fair. He does not understand, and is beginning to feel that our religion is wrong. If they truly want to incorporate religion into their lessons, they must include various religions and not discriminate against the rest, or they must just leave religion out all together. Good values and morals can be taught without it,” she said.
The school’s principal declined to comment, saying that the department of education had advised staff to direct any media queries to the department.
Spokesman for the Department of Education, Musi Mhlambi, said it was the school’s prerogative to decide on what religion they taught in the school. “The school decides based on what the majority chooses. They choose what religion they follow but that should not be to the detriment of a child who does not follow that. It is enshrined in the constitution that forms the main guidelines for these decisions. The school must then find an alternative for that child and they cannot be discriminated against on the basis of their religion,” he said.
The school’s governing body confirmed that they are a government school with a Christian based ethos. On the school’s website, under the About Us section they specify this.
*Her surname has been changed to protect her son’s identity.
