The Many Benefits Offered By An Urban Christian Education

By Frances Richardson


Schools and educational systems that are based upon the principles of a specific religion is nothing new. From the earliest days churches strived to provide schooling to the masses. Of course, part of this schooling involved studying the principles and teachings of the church. Later on, missionaries established schools wherever they went. This allowed them to reach more people for religious purposes. To this day, and for many reasons, many families prefer their children to receive an urban Christian education.

Numerous devoutly Christian parents are not satisfied with the schooling offered by government schools. They want their children to get an excellent education based upon the very ideas underpinning their faith. This is not possible in government schools. They have to accommodate learners from every conceivable background, faith and culture and they cannot afford to show preference to any particular religion.

Government schools simply cannot offer any form of religious instruction. They have to cater for students from a wide variety of backgrounds, religions and cultures and any form of religious activities will lead to discontent among parents and church leaders. The answer is to establish private schools that cater only for students from a very specific religion. In recent times, many of these schools have sprung up.

Religion based schools have flourished. Official statistics show clearly that these schools perform way above average academically, in sport and other extra curricular areas. They have adequate resources, small classes, top teachers and excellent facilities. It is no wonder that so many parents that are not devoutly religious also prefer to send their children to these schools. They want their children to succeed and to thrive.

It is not just devout believers that are lamenting the poor performance of government schools. Educational experts agree that these schools simply do not have enough resources. They have to cope with very large classes and discipline is often extremely poor. Drug and alcohol abuse even among the very young is common. This type of environment is most certainly not conductive to learning but most parents do not have a choice.

These schools have many critics, of course. They argue that young people need to be exposed to various religions, customs and cultures if they are to become balanced adults. They also think that religious schools are far too prescriptive and that they hinder students from developing the ability to think and judge for themselves. And then they accuse these schools of making their learners believe that they are special.

Parents with children in religious schools and the teachers teaching there do not agree with the critics. They say that they provide their learners with a balanced curriculum and that they turn out well rounded, responsible adults. This is exactly what society needs, they say. In addition, supporters of religious schools are adamant that it is the right of parents to insist that their children are educated according to the principles of their faith.

It would be wrong to think that private religious schools are totally independent. They are not. They have to comply with all the many laws and regulations overseen by the educational authorities. They have to adhere to the prescribed curriculum but when it comes to religious instruction, they act according to their beliefs.




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