A team of faith-based organisation (FBO) practitioners are developing an Anti-Harmful Religious Practices strategy to guide and protect learners from spiritual attacks and abuse.
The strategy is developed as part of the Gauteng Department of Education’s partnership with FBOs to support quality education in schools. Speaking at a signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding with religious groups this morning Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy said parental and community involvement was important in keeping learners away from experimenting with harmful aspects of the occult and Satanism.
“We appreciate the response and support of faith-based communities in addressing issues of harmful aspects of religion in our schools. The strategy they are formulating will include the role of parents, educators and learners and should be aligned with department’s Education Religion Policy in Public Schools,” MEC Creecy said.
The MOU is a result of the partnership with Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) launched in 2010 and has seen religious groups supporting the department with a range of issues including providing support with deepening learning and teaching, cases of bereavement, spiritual disturbances and harmful religious practices.
The MOU forms the basis for translating the partnership into action. Since the launch of the partnership three years ago, FBOs have participated in activities that include: Participating in school activities, e.g. cleaning campaigns, supporting learners with school uniforms, recognising learner achievements, offering bursaries, including Grace Bible Church in Soweto, Sharpeville Tshwaranang Trust, Tshepisong Abundant Faith Ministries, Soweto Ministers Fraternal, Chloorkop Hope Restoration Channel Islam International Foundation is conducting Spelling Bee programmes in most of the schools in Soweto.
Initiating programmes to motivate learners during morning school assemblies and other available time outside contact time such as in the Vaal Organisation and Tembisa Zion Service Participating in ensuring safety in schools by working with SAPS and Community Policing Forums, the Sharpeville Churches Against Crime organisation, etc.
Intervening in ensuring peace at school and around communities, e.g. Shabach School Ministries in the East Rand and Kathorus-Clinix Ministers Forum Participating in school safety programmes organised by the GDE School Safety directorate and other initiatives, e.g. facilitation and support for learners at camps dealing with substance abuse, gangsterism and other ill-behaviour problems, Involvement of FBOs Youth Organisations at the Soweto Learner Summit and contribution in formulating supporting programmes thereafter, e.g. Campus Crusade, Youth Alive, Prevention Time SA, Soul Ova, Scripture Union, Students Christian Organisation (SCO).
“I am eternally grateful for the work that faith-based organisations are doing in communities to support education. This is an active demonstration of our slogan that education is indeed a societal priority. We need more such partnerships if learners are to stand a chance of extricating themselves from the cycle of poverty,” MEC Creecy said.
Bishop Peter Lee, who spoke on behalf of FBOS, said the partnership has committed itself to slowly develop a basis for a deeper and more extensive partnership going forward. Firstly, it will use its platforms and pulpits to promote the cause of quality education.
“In those contexts we try to address the behaviour, the lifestyle and the moral conduct of our adherents. We only have to add the words ‘make sure your children gets to school’, or ‘check if they brought home any homework’, or ‘make sure you read to your child’ (something which only one parent in 20 in South Africa currently practises) – to get a sense of what a difference we might make with relatively little tuning of what we already do,” Bishop Lee said.
In Orange Farm schools where he works educators told him that more than 60% of the 1 000 children at the school are living in granny-headed households. Their mothers are often not sufficiently mature to take a great interest in their children’s homework. The department has introduced the Extra School Support Programme (ESSP) which includes supervised homework after-school at no-fee schools to help primary school children.
“In fact I am coming to the view that homework is the one creature in South Africa which is more endangered than the rhinoceros! The new ESSP programme may help us here, but I am hearing educators often saying that if homework does not happen on school premises, it does not happen at all. Yet we have serried ranks of wise and experienced parents in the FBOs who are more than willing to take a child or two under their wing and help in this department,” Bishop Lee said.
The ESSP has been designed to provide after-school support for homework and school sports. The programme provides learners with caring and supporting individuals available beyond normal contact time.
These caregivers assist with homework support programmes for Grade one to seven in no-fee schools. In addition, they facilitate sporting as well as arts and culture activities.
For more information contact:
Charles Phahlane, Gauteng Department of Education’s Head of Communication
Tel: 011 355 1530
Cell: 071 860 4496
