Christianity at school good for kids – witness

CHILDREN do better if their school is religious and prefer having a Christian ethos at school to none at all.

This is one of the arguments of advocate Johan du Toit in the Johannesburg High Court in a case on how religion should be practised at state schools.

Du Toit was quoting Dr Tanya Robinson‚ a self-proclaimed expert on human behaviour‚ who surveyed and held focus groups with about 808 children at religious Afrikaans schools.

She asked the children what they thought about having religious readings and prayer in assembly.

Her research was commissioned by Fedsas‚ the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools‚ which is defending the right of six Afrikaans state schools to have Christian assemblies‚ hold Christian prayers during school time and advertise themselves as having a “Christian ethos”.

Hans Pietersen‚ a father of triplets‚ brought the court case‚ asking that the schools be interdicted from having Christian assemblies or voluntary Christian meetings at break.

He has argued that single-religion schools are unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Robinson’s findings were that children would feel devastated and defeated if Christian teaching at school was banned.

She argued that religious teachings played a role in the psycho-social development of children.

“The [Christian] ethos of school helps them cope with circumstances at home‚” Du Toit read from Robinson’s report.

Their answers to her questionnaire were not unanimous.

But children reported preferring having a Christian ethos at school and Robinson said religion made them empowered and uplifted.

The children appreciated they should be accommodating other religions‚ she found.

Children living in South Africa faced many harsh circumstances due to violence and poverty‚ she argued.

Pietersen’s organisation‚ OGOD‚ has countered with testimony from Professor Cornelia Roux‚ from the North West University School of Education.

Roux in a written affidavit has critiqued the questionnaire used to ask children their views‚ saying the same one was given to pupils from Grade R to Grade 7.

But a six-year-old child was vastly different developmentally to a 12year-old child, she said.