19 MAY 2017, PLATINUM WEEKLY, 50 Marais Street, Tel: 014 592 3257, Fax: 011 252 6669, E-mail:
[email protected] p 05 COURT CASE AGAINST RELIGION IN SCHOOLS &RXUW FDVH DJDLQVW UHOLJLRQ LQ VFKRROV DIIHFWV moral glue that glues South Africans together. The question is RQUHOLJLRXVSUDFWLFHVLVIDLU³,IWKHDSSOLFDWLRQVXFFHHGVVWDQ- VFKRROVDQGÀLHVLQWKHIDFHRIWKHUHOLJLRXVSUDFWLFHVRI whether that which the applicants are seeking is in line with dard practices such as prayers at assembly, prayers at sports RI6RXWK$IULFDQV what ordinary South Africans want. Looking at the statistics, events, Christmas Carol performances by choirs, as well as a Trade union Solidarity on Tuesday, 16 May 2017, argued that WKLVLVFOHDUO\QRWWKHFDVH´6ROLGDULW\&KLHI([HFXWLYH'U'LUN VSHFL¿FIDLWKHWKRVZRXOGEHEDQQHG,QWKRXVDQGVRIVFKRROV the ruling in the Gauteng South High Court case would not only Hermann said. WKRVHDUHWKHYHU\YDOXHVWKDWXQLWHFKLOGUHQ,QWKHORQJUXQWKH affect the six schools involved in the case, but 24 000 other Solidarity argued as friend of the court in favour of the six absence of those values, practices and a certain ethos would schools in the country as well. schools whose religious practices are being challenged in court have radical consequences for the culture at schools, and later As such, the case is of major importance to hundreds of thou- E\WKH2UJDQLVDWLRQIRU5HOLJLRXV(GXFDWLRQDQG'HPRFUDF\ also for South Africa,” Hermann said. sands of parents and children across South Africa. The applica- According to Solidarity, it is constitutionally permissible and Hermann stated that in this case Solidarity was acting on behalf tion asking that religious practices be banned at schools runs desirable that school communities decide on a school’s ethos of teachers.