HOME - ABOUT US - ARTICLES - NEWSLETTERS - CONTACT US - LINKS - MEMORIAL PAGE

October/November 2001

New Outcomes Based Education in South Africa - humanistic and amoral. What does the Bible say about Education?

Dear Friends,

The South African Government is introducing a new type of education which is laid down in the "Draft Revised National Curriculum Statement" of 30 July 2001. This was "produced over a period of six months by close to 150 people who were ministerially appointed" and features "Outcomes Based Education." (OBE) The evangelical movement "Christians for Truth" (CFT) explains what OBE is, saying: "Outcomes Based Education has an overwhelming emphasis upon each student's social, ethical and emotional development. Traditional skills are de-emphasised by OBE and, in their place, attention is devoted to attitudes, self-esteem, and other affective (feelings or emotions) learning behaviours. All children will have to demonstrate correct attitudes to a wide variety of issues." 1) The teacher starts at the end point of the intended outcome, and from there he defines, derives, develops, and organizes all the curriculum processes. OBE is thus a 'design down from where you want to end up.' The outcomes are set by the State Education Department.

Outcomes Based Education is a humanistic teaching system. It goes back to the Convention of the American Psychological Association held in Boston in 1948, where behavioural scientists deliberated on what became known as Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, named after Benjamin S Bloom of the University of Chicago. Though OBE has certain merits it has, where applied, led to a decline in educational standards. For instance, one American wrote: "Every OBE programme that I am aware of, regardless of who promotes it, is not based on an academic agenda; it is based on a political agenda… The outcomes are all designed to promote radical environmentalism, socialism, and a global one-world government… [with] … an atheistic, agnostic or New Age religious orientation." 2) "The kind of learner that is envisaged," says the South African Department of Education, "is one who will be imbued with the values… of a society based on respect for democracy, equality, human dignity, life and social justice." 3) Moreover, OBE can be said to interfere with the values of children. It insidiously encourages in children a rejection of parental values and replaces these with new state designed values which are entirely secular. The Bible, however, stresses that education starts with the "fear of the Lord."(Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Ps. 111:10) It says: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads… and on your gates." (Deut. 6:5-9) In short, God commands us to "bring [our children] up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Eph. 6:4) All this is not primarily the task of the school but of the PARENTS.

For a long time Humanists have tried to get control over the world's children. Vladimir Lenin once said: "We are seriously carrying out… the transference of the… educational function of the separate household to society… The children are brought up under more favourable conditions than at home…" 4) In order to weaken home and kinship influences he demands: "We must strive to secure the mixing of the children of all nationalities in uniform schools in each locality." 5) His revolutionary Humanism (Communism) is not dead, and Cosmic Humanism (New Age) is very much alive. All over the world, New Age ideas have brought occult and pseudo-psychotherapeutic techniques into education. In South Africa, the proposed "Life Orientation" curriculum, starting from Grade 1, is designed to teach all children alien religions. A child has to learn their values, symbols, and "sacred spaces." By Grade 2 he/she is asked to "discuss similarities and differences in at least 3 belief systems." By Grade 8 he/she has to "identify at least 10 values from each of 4 belief systems." Is not this designed to confuse the child, to weaken his identity and diminish his moral certainty? Again we quote Lenin: "Marxists," he said, "have a general school plan which demands, for example, an absolutely secular school. As far as Marxists are concerned, no departure from this general programme is anywhere or at any time permissible…" 6) So, too, in the South African context no child is allowed to absent him/herself from "Life Orientation" lessons. The 'outcome' will surely be a general decline, if not abandonment, of all religion and all morals in all faith communities.

One of the greatest dangers facing present South Africa is the immune sickness AIDS. The only people who are reasonably safe from it are those who hold strong religious and moral principles and therefore shun all promiscuity. Hence it is absolutely necessary to strengthen such principles in order to save lives. HIV/AIDS education is now being integrated into the curricu-lum at all levels, but without any moral guidance. Instead, children will learn how to "take responsible decisions regarding their sexual behaviour." They will "need to practise safe sex." 7) In Grade 8 they will have to "debate the right to life and abortion." The question which we must ask ourselves is: Are the children of the nation being programmed for fornication and murder? Norbert Homuth, editor of the "Glaubensnachrichten" (Faith News) in Germany, wrote in the July/ August 2001 edition: "School book commissions have been working closely with the United Nations Organisation's UNESCO… to impart to children their desired world view." Referring to guidelines for Kindergarten teachers, he says: "Educators are asked to strip the children naked, line them up and make them bend forward, covering their heads. The game is called: 'This bottom belongs to…' It can also be varied to focus on the front of the body. Parents and educators are advised to play these games with adults before playing them with children. The children are taught to play intercourse and to masturbate. If any withdraw from these lust games… they are regarded as 'outsiders'." Homuth adds: This is "state approved child abuse."
On 25.10.2001, Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), caused a stir in Parliament when he demonstrated what he called a "pornographic flip chart" which had been designed for "Life Orientation" classes in schools. He said: "Encouraging children as young as eight to discuss sex, to participate, experiment and apply what they have learnt while using these pornographic flip charts, is going to make little fornicators out of schoolchildren and increase the incidence of rape of schoolchildren." He blamed the use of such charts for the "increase in the rape of schoolgirls by teachers," and called on the House to express its outrage at "immoral male teachers" who, he said, were raping schoolgirls, impregnating them and infecting them with HIV. He called on the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal, to "withdraw the immoral life skills charts from schools, especially primary schools." Asmal, he said, should "stop the encouragement of sexual activity by those teachers who are perverts and use pornography to seduce innocent, unsuspecting children." 8) - In commenting on the "Revised National Curriculum Statement", Christians for Truth (CFT) wrote: "Having examined the Life Orientation and the Social Sciences Learning Areas we are shocked to notice that no mention is made of abstinence education. It seems that there is a heavy emphasis on sex education but not from a family-friendly point of view, which is the view held by the vast majority of South African families." Indeed, the question is: why all the encouragement to illicit sex from national institutions (including the national broadcaster SABC), when sex outside marriage is a sure invitation of death through AIDS? Does South Africa want life or death? God's Word says: "Be imitators of God… There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality among you, or any kind of impurity… because these are improper for God's holy people." (Eph. 5:1-6)

In the Pro-Life submission to the Minister of Education, Dr Claude Newbury, President of Pro-Life South Africa, says: "The moral upbringing of children is the primary purpose of education, and this curriculum appears to view morality as… not based on moral absolutes but one which is open to personal opinion and debate." The curriculum, he says, "is designed to inculcate the supremacy of our Constitution, including those profoundly flawed parts of it, which embody such evils as the right to the killing of unborn children, the support for homosexuality, the inherent racism of affirmative action, and the equality of all religions." 9) In its own submission, the Gospel Defence League wrote: "Children do not belong to the state, but to the parents, and the State does not have the right to indoctrinate children with beliefs contrary to the teachings of their parents. The rejection of Christianity inherent in the new educational system not only violates basic human rights. But since the curriculum places a heavy (value free) emphasis on children's rights, sex education, sexual orientation and broadening of the concept of family, it will also lead to a decline in morality and cause a dramatic increase in the spread of AIDS."

Roughly half of the weekly teaching time of the new curriculum is allocated to academic programmes, such as languages, mathematics, natural sciences and technology, and the other half to conscientisation programmes, to attitude building and sensitivity training. These latter "learning programmes" go under the headings of social sciences, life orientation, arts and culture. History and geography (as part of social sciences), include "the promotion of social justice and human rights… resources, land use, appropriate technology, population movements, migration and settlement, colonialism, and apartheid and land." Children will learn "how we can influence our future, confront and challenge economic and social inequality, includ-ing racism and sexism, in order to build a non-racial, democratic present and future." Will not the constant occupation with negatives such as "prejudice, persecution, oppression, exploitation, sexism and racism, xenophobia, genocide and other forms of discrimination" cause young people to lose heart in a seemingly evil world? Children need joy, hope, and love. As the Bible says: "Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things…" (Phil. 4:8) Will children, many of whom come from stressful home situations, cope with the gloom and doom of their curriculum? Can they prosper if imbued with guilt, envy, or resentment? The Bible tells us: "Rejoice in the Lord always! The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:4-7)

The Revised National Curriculum Statement will become policy at the end of this year, A.D. 2001, after public comment has been given and received. After that, learning materials will be planned and prepared, and in 2002 teacher orientation will start to inculcate the new 'values' into the teachers before passing them to the children. In 2004 Grades R-3 will be implemented, in 2005 Grades 4-6, and in 2006-8 Grades 7, 8, and 9. The first General Education and Training Certificate will then be issued in 2008. The national curriculum, once fully operative, is to lead to a complete "transformation" of South Africa. We must pray that it may not take off, for if it does, the children of this country will sink into ignorance and sin. Jesus said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Mark 10:14; Luke 18:14) Therefore, let us rise up and ask God to overrule everything that might harm their souls. For He said: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Matt 18:6-7)

May God bless you richly,
D. Scarborough.

Footnotes:
1. Christians for Truth: Outcomes Based Education: an Experiment in Social Engineering? Jan/Feb. 1997. Also CFT: "Questions Answered on: Outcomes Based Education." 2. Ibid. 3. Draft Revised National Curriculum Statement for Grades R-9, Overview, 30.7.2001. 4. Lenin: in Halle, p. 97-8; in Zetkin: "Reminiscences of Lenin," 1929, p. 57; and in Webb & Webb: "Soviet Communism:. A New Civilization," Longmans, Green & Co, London, 1936, I,
p. 815-6. Quoted in "Communism: A Christian Evaluation," by Francis Nigel Lee, 1974. 5. Lenin, Collected Works XIX p. 504 f. - Op. cit. 6. Lenin, "Collected Works," XIX, p. 504f. Op. cit. 7 . The "Implementation Plan for Tirisano" (the SA Education and Training System for the 21st Century] January 2000 - December 2004. 8. Cape Times: ACDP: flip charts foment fornication, 26.10.2001. 9. Pro-Life's letter to the Minister of Education, Kader Asmal, requesting an extension for submissions on the Education Department's 1,400 page document Curriculum 2005.