Towards religious literacy in South African schools: is the Life Orientation curriculum potent enough?

ABSTRACT Owing to the mixed-bag effects of religion on society, and particularly South Africa’s history with religion as embedded in the oppression of and liberation from apartheid, a recent curricular review has seen the introduction of teaching about religion in the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum. From our standpoint as academics in Religion Education, we question whether the current curricular arrangement is potent enough to carry the mandate of the National Policy on Religion and Education (hereafter referred to as the religion policy) of promoting religious literacy. To answer this question, we subjected the LO curriculum to content analysis, assessing the underlying content and pedagogical assumptions within the frame of scholarship in religious literacy. While doing so, we make critical reference to the religion policy with the aim of reflecting on government’s intentions with RE in schools.