Wednesday 30 January 2019

The Many Benefits Offered By An Urban Christian Education

By Frances Richardson


Schools and educational systems that are based upon the principles of a specific religion is nothing new. From the earliest days churches strived to provide schooling to the masses. Of course, part of this schooling involved studying the principles and teachings of the church. Later on, missionaries established schools wherever they went. This allowed them to reach more people for religious purposes. To this day, and for many reasons, many families prefer their children to receive an urban Christian education.

Many parents do not want their children to be exposed to other cultures, religions and faith systems. They want the schooling that their children get to be based firmly upon their own belief system. This sentiment is not exclusive to Christians. Moslem parents, Jewish parents and those from other faiths often also want their children to be educated according to the principles of their religion.

It is not only Christians that want their children to receive religious schooling in conjunction with the official curriculum. Jewish and Moslem parents, as well as people from other faiths have also established private schools to fulfill their particular needs. These schools are privately owned and they base their curricula upon the principles of their faith. Parents that enroll their children in these schools must accept that fact.

Perhaps it should not be surprising to learn that these schools have soared in popularity. After all, they generally produce much better results than government schools. They have good facilities, they maintain strict discipline and they offer their students teaching by well qualified teachers. The classes are smaller and the staff is motivated. This, parents believe, is the best environment for learning.

It is not just devout believers that are lamenting the poor performance of government schools. Educational experts agree that these schools simply do not have enough resources. They have to cope with very large classes and discipline is often extremely poor. Drug and alcohol abuse even among the very young is common. This type of environment is most certainly not conductive to learning but most parents do not have a choice.

Critics say that religious schools are too exclusive and that they stifle the creativity of their learners because they are so strict about what learners are exposed to. They say that healthy, balanced individuals need to be exposed to different cultures and religions and that religious schools prevent children from becoming true citizens of a society where there is inevitable people from many different backgrounds. This is discriminatory, they argue.

Supporters of educational systems based upon religious principles certainly have a different point of view. They point out that they produce better results, that they have better facilities and that they do not have disciplinary problems. They say that they produce graduates that are responsible and balanced individuals. For them, their religion is important and should be part of any educational system. It is the duty of parents to make sure their children grow up within the faith.

Private schools, even religious ones, are not exempt from the rules and regulations prescribed by the educational authorities. The basic curriculum prescribed by the authorities must be followed but the school may decide to augment this with religious instruction and other fields of study. It nevertheless seems as if religious schools are here to stay.




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