THE EFFECT OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
IN UPBRINGING OF CHILDREN IN PRIMARY SCHOOL
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the study
Religious education forms part of
the basic national curriculum for primary schools this may be a surprising fact
but it has come up to be the truth and nothing but the truth. Some individuals
have linked religious with social habituation and they have also gone a long
way to argue that it has no consign in either a working environment or a
schools. At the same time, others believe religion in education have to be
about fostering students within a meticulous religious faith system. Over the
year’s religious education has actively been known to be a strong promoter of
the values of genuineness, fairness, honesty, deference for all and care of the
environment. Religious education consign specific emphasis on children
appreciating themselves and others, it teaches us the real responsibility of
family and the community in religious principle and action, the contentment of
diversity in society through of acknowledgment of their similarities and
differences, and individual custodianship on earth. Religious education is also
acquainted with shifting environment of the general public, including
transformations in religious practice and appearance and the authority of
religion in the neighborhood, homes, state and in the universal society.
The study of religious education
with children helps to develop the children knowledge and understanding of
Christianity and in some cases, not just Christianity but also other religious
cultures and other belief systems. Previous studies have also shown that
religious education has encouraged children to learn from various religious
beliefs, values and culture while at the same time, exploring their own beliefs
regarding their religion. This comprehensive study in primary schools has also
help children to mature personally and socially as well as refining their
psychological judgments and decisions on religious, moral and social issues,
preparing them for life in a secular society.
During my time in primary school I
can clearly recall that Christian religious education popularly known as (CRE)
was a compulsory subject for us we had no right at that time to make it an
optional subject. It was also mandatory to pass it although it wasn‟t
compulsory that you had to pass it before you can get promoted to the next
class. This curriculum schedule gave us no other option than to study as pass
it. In fact anyone who could not pass CRE is assumed not to be able to do well
or pass other subjects. This education gave us a stronger sense of our own
identity and it made us to know our place in the world that we live in through
the religious and ethical teaching. For those of us who just gained admission
into primary school the subject was not just at a personal level anymore but
was also aimed at make these students understand how the community they live in
functions religiously, socially, politically and culturally. At the end of the
day, these new admitted students are encouraged with such religious education
to develop a sense of societal unity and communal accountability in the
direction of others. (Lopez-Muniz, et al., 2006)
Religious education has made a significant
involvement principally in its center of attention on promoting value for
everyone equally. Religious education has taken a front responsibility in
fighting against injustice, unfairness and pessimistic bias. By teaching or
providing religious education to children who just begin primary school means
you have just opened the doors to moral development for them.
Statement of the Problem
The
ultimate target of RE, in the long term, is to educate people to be happy, both
in this world and in the Hereafter. That is why religion admits certain
principles- to realize these targets, and constructs a moral and merit system
to frame the behaviors of mankind regarding personal and social life. By this
dimension, religion and its education makes all the necessary regulations for
people to conduct their lives in accordance with these aims.
Critics
of religion, however; often point to certain behaviors of religious adherents
as a means of condemning religion. For instance children raised in the
different religious groups will always at one time or another look down upon each
other. They fail to show maturity in handling issues and neither portrays
rationality nor altruism when confronted with matters that need problem
solving. Generally according to the critics, there is no pattern marking one of
the different groups as superior to other groups since religionists behaviors
do not vary differently from those of non religionists. There is the dire need
to investigate therefore the effect of religious education on the child
upbringing in primary schools in IKERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE
Objective of the Study
The general objective of this study was to investigate the effects
religious education in upbringing of children in primary schools in IKERE LOCAL GOVERNMWENT AREA OF Ekiti State
Research Objectives
The study was set to achieve the
following objectives:
i.
To
investigate how the religious education helps in upbringing of child in primary
schools
ii.
To
establish how religious education influence
the moral development of children.
iii. To ascertain the influence of religious
education helps to inculcate value on primary school children
iv. To determine how religion education
influence children socio-cultural upbringing
in primary school
Research Questions
The study was guided by the
following questions:
i.
To
what extent do religious education helps in upbringing of children in Primary
schools?
ii.
Does
religious education influence the moral up bring of children?
iii. To what extent does religion
education inculcate value on primary
school children?
iv. Does religion education influence
children socio-cultural upbringing in primary school?
Significance of the Study
The study will examine the effect of
religious education in upbringing of children. The study will be significant to
the curriculum developers and the ministry of education who through the
findings of the study will be able to establish a proper curriculum to be
incorporated in the learners‟ syllabus that will transmit moral values that are
acceptable in the society. The study will also be of significance to religious
leaders of the different religious groups since through the research findings
they will be able to evaluate how strong their teachings and activities impact
on the moral development of learners in schools and adjust them to correspond
to the moral requirements of the children. Subsequently, the study will be
significant to the parents and caregivers since they are the first moral
teachers to the children and therefore the findings of the study will enable
them to re-evaluate and enact good parenting styles that will transmit
acceptable moral behavior in the society as well as act as good role models to
the children.
Scope of the study
The study will be conducted in private and public primary schools in IKERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE.
The study will mainly focus on primary school students in six selected schools who will be the respondents in the
study.
Assumption of the study
The researcher assumes that all primary
school pupils belong to a certain
religious group which could either be Christianity, Islamic, or African
Traditional Religious groups among others.
Definition of Key Terms
In this research the key terms are:
Moral Degradation: Decline of morality in the society
primary children: Children
between ages 3-6 years who have been exposed to different religious
beliefs.
Religious Groups: A number of people sharing common
beliefs.
Moral Development: Acquisition of moral characteristics
such as rationality, independence, maturity, altruism and responsibility.
