Religion in Education
As we all know there has been major debate on this contentious issue, although the process still needs to become more democratic. A response time for interested stakeholders in education has been unbelievably short. On the other hand there was recognition of the huge need for the church to get more involved in the debate, especially the provinces and school governing bodies. It is well known that a policy will only work if the people own it. The other question raised was whether we need a policy on religion in education or whether the constitution protects our rights sufficiently. At present the two seem to be inconsistent.

As Christians we identified both constraints and opportunities with the policy as it stands. For example, one opportunity is that institutions have now become places "where religious communities can meet each other and we can celebrate our diversity," as our speaker, Paul Faller of the Catholic Institute of Education said. An example of a constraint lies in the structures like the National Curriculum that at this stage cannot easily be changed.

Looking back over the last few days we acknowledge the fact that we, the church, have not paid significant attention to the giants of poverty, violence and HIV/Aids as they impact on education. We also recognised our role in affirming and supporting teachers in their vocation. We need to create relationships of accountability between church, educational institutions, parents and communities. The church has to take responsibility and get more involved as we are living in the end times and need to take a radical stand. Education is more than knowledge and teachers need to live out their faith daily in order to make a difference.

Robyn Newton

The challenge to servant leadership.

Educators were challenged again today by Prof John Jansen as to how we can implement personal and moral leadership in our vocations. He gave wonderful personal examples of servant leadership in his role as Dean at the University of Pretoria and asked us to explore ways in which we could do the same to establish the Kingdom of God in our various institutions.
Jansen said that we need to bring the heart back into education. In grappling with the question of how this was to be done, it became clear that the most powerful way to establish the Kingdom of God is at a relational level. We as teachers need to model Christ in terms of taking a personal interest in the learners. As Jansen said, "If the greatest teacher of all time could wash his disciple's feet, so can we."
On one level, students not only need salvation, but discipleship. At another level, if our aim is to facilitate students in finding the truth and loving the truth, then we need to assist them in establishing a Christian world view. This should enable them to relate their studies to their faith. One lecturer told a very encouraging story about a student who came back to her years later to say that she had really left him with a lasting message through her daily morning devotions with the class. This came at a time when this student was unemployed. We need to be people "bearing fruit that will last" (John 15:16).

Robyn Newton

Vice Chancellor challenges leaders in Education
Professor Brian O' Connell, Vice Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape, and track leader of Christians in Education, outlined the historical context of education in South Africa to delegates. He challenged delegates to look more broadly at the present educational context in terms of re-creating families and communities in the new South Africa. O' Connell also highlighted the importance of discoursing with one another in terms of our future, to keep talking to the policy-makers, to focus on our similiarities, and try to overcome our differences. "Christians need to be concerned and deeply involved. The time for silence has passed," he said.
The final challenge involved knowledge and values. "Our South African education system has historically had a strong focus on instilling knowledge at the expense of developing sound values in learners' hearts. When apartheid collapsed in 1990, the temptation for students was to throw out all authority, including the authority of knowledge. Over a period of time, this unhealthy consequence has been dealt with by stakeholders. We now have some really excellent curriculum outlines in place."

In addition to this, O' Connell stressed the need for Christians to once again become good role models in their communities. Discussions concluded with the need for us as Christians to repent in the areas of past educational practices, the practice of unbiblical cultural traditions and the Church's silence on the important issues facing all stakeholders in education. "We need to encourage learners to find truth & to value truth."

Robyn Newton

Track Leaders: Revd Samuel Isaacs, Dr Vic Brink and Dr Graham Catto.
Education leaders involved in the Education track are unashamed about their passion for an educational consciousness based on godly values.

“As leaders in education and training, we need to reaffirm our commitment to become a learning nation by working to eradicate ignorance and poverty. By the end of this week, we must commit to a vision that will help restore values such as mutual respect and tolerance.” – Samuel Isaacs
“We need to begin a pro-activeprocess tackling issues such as the policy on religion and education currently affecting our schools. We must be bolder in the secular world and, while remaining sensitive, we must not shy away from our role as believers. The doors are open – we just need to use them.” – Vic Brink