Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education
Implementation of religion policy in schools has provoked contradictions and contestations in South Africa and across the globe. Reports on costly and protracted court cases and legislative battles between schools and parents as well as between schools and departments of education over religion in s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Education Association of South Africa
2018-12-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Education |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1542/816 |
| _version_ | 1797201275468644352 |
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| author | Maitumeleng Albertina Nthontho |
| author_facet | Maitumeleng Albertina Nthontho |
| author_sort | Maitumeleng Albertina Nthontho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Implementation of religion policy in schools has provoked contradictions and contestations in South Africa and across the globe. Reports on costly and protracted court cases and legislative battles between schools and parents as well as between schools and departments of education over religion in schools have been increasing at an alarming rate. In this article, I highlight some of the school management issues involved in the implementation of religion-in-education policy in some selected South African schools. Based on mediation theory, the study used individual interviews to gather data from 12 school principals, who were purposively selected regarding their experiences on the implementation of the religion-in-education policy in their schools. The study revealed that, despite the challenges raised by the implementation of the religion-in-education policy, the majority of the participating school principals displayed the qualities of a transformative mediator. I therefore recommend that school leadership programmes for school leaders offer mediation, and transformative mediation in particular, as a leadership and management course. Additionally, the teaching should focus on transformative mediation as a strategy that school principals can use to solve problems and handle disputes in schools. This is important because transformative mediation has potential benefits to the field of education. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:44:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c1602507ac6c4668b3bc772763270b4c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0256-0100 2076-3433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T07:44:57Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Education Association of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1602507ac6c4668b3bc772763270b4c2024-04-19T03:56:06ZengEducation Association of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Education0256-01002076-34332018-12-0138Suppl. 21810.15700/saje.v38ns2a1542Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in educationMaitumeleng Albertina Nthontho0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9175-5318Department of Education Management and Policy Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South AfricaImplementation of religion policy in schools has provoked contradictions and contestations in South Africa and across the globe. Reports on costly and protracted court cases and legislative battles between schools and parents as well as between schools and departments of education over religion in schools have been increasing at an alarming rate. In this article, I highlight some of the school management issues involved in the implementation of religion-in-education policy in some selected South African schools. Based on mediation theory, the study used individual interviews to gather data from 12 school principals, who were purposively selected regarding their experiences on the implementation of the religion-in-education policy in their schools. The study revealed that, despite the challenges raised by the implementation of the religion-in-education policy, the majority of the participating school principals displayed the qualities of a transformative mediator. I therefore recommend that school leadership programmes for school leaders offer mediation, and transformative mediation in particular, as a leadership and management course. Additionally, the teaching should focus on transformative mediation as a strategy that school principals can use to solve problems and handle disputes in schools. This is important because transformative mediation has potential benefits to the field of education.http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1542/816conflict resolutionmediationpolicy implementationreligion in educationreligious diversityschools as legal persons |
| spellingShingle | Maitumeleng Albertina Nthontho Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education South African Journal of Education conflict resolution mediation policy implementation religion in education religious diversity schools as legal persons |
| title | Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education |
| title_full | Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education |
| title_fullStr | Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education |
| title_short | Schools as legal persons: Implications for religion in education |
| title_sort | schools as legal persons implications for religion in education |
| topic | conflict resolution mediation policy implementation religion in education religious diversity schools as legal persons |
| url | http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/article/view/1542/816 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT maitumelengalbertinanthontho schoolsaslegalpersonsimplicationsforreligionineducation |