View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Göteborgs universitets publikationer - e-publicering och e-arkiv From Jesus and God to Muhammad and Allah – and back again Kenyan Christian and Islamic religious education in the slums of Kibera Mikael Kindberg Termin : HT 2010 Kurs: RKS 310 Religionsvetenskap för blivande lärare fördjupningskurs 30 hp Nivå: Kandidat (examensarbete) Handledare: Kerstin von Brömssen & Göran Larsson Rapportnummer: HT10-1150-14 Abstract Level of examination: Bachelor's degree (thesis) Title: From Jesus and God to Muhammad and Allah, and back again – Kenyan Christian and Islamic religious education in Nairobi Author: Mikael Kindberg Term and year: Autumn 2010 Department: Department of Literature, History of Ideas and Religion Report Number: HT10-1150-14 Supervisors: Kerstin von Brömssen and Göran Larsson Key words: CRE, IRE, Kenya, Secondary school, religious education, This study focuses on Christian and Islamic religious education and was carried out as a Minor Field Study at a secondary school in the slums of Kibera, Nairobi, during September- December 2010. The overall purpose is to examine and compare how Christian and Islamic religious education is taught at the selected school. The following questions constitute the problem areas: How is the Kenyan curriculum and syllabi in CRE and IRE designed, and what is said about religious education? How are students taught in religious education at the selected school? What are the teachers saying about religious education as a subject? The study has an ethnographic methodological approach, using textual analysis of curriculum and syllabi, classroom observations and qualitative interviews with teachers in order to collect the material. Some of the main findings in this study are that teachers in religious education at the selected school are forced to use lecturing, instead of other preferred teaching methods, to have time enough to cover the syllabus; religious education as a subject is facing an ongoing change towards teaching about religion rather than into religion which is the overall purpose of the subject. 2 Preface This study is a Minor Field Study funded by SIDA and was carried out in Nairobi, Kenya, during October – December 2010. Preparations and establishments of contacts in field began in January the same year. The study aims at religious education in secondary schools and has taken place at a school in the slums of Kibera. Traveling alone to Kenya for three months doing an ethnographic study in schools gave me new perspectives, as a person, as a soon-to-be teacher and as a debuting researcher. Observing and interviewing teachers has given me a nuanced view of teaching about religion, since the religious education is confessional in Kenya. Acknowledgements A lot of people helped me make this Minor Field Study possible, from idea to final product, from Sweden to Kenya – and back again. Many people has been involved in this project during its different stages and everyone’s efforts, small and large, has enable this study. Among others I owe special thanks to: Kerstin von Brömsen , for introducing me for the MFS-scholarship and helping me find relevant literature; Per-Olof Hansson , for invaluable help with getting contacts in field; Monica Adhiambo and Kevin Mose , Monica for the tremendous work preparing for my visit and both of them for all our walks together to Kibera; MFS-programme at the Department of Education University of Gothenburg , for believing in my idea with this study and its potential, and for awarding me with the MFS- scholarship; The teachers at the participating school for all help, generosity and honest answers during interviews, thank you; And last but not least, my nearest and dearest for supporting me all the way. I also send my thoughts to those who gave me firsthand experience of corruption and problems in the field. The experiences I assimilated can prove invaluable in the future. 3 Abbreviations CRE – Christian religious education IMF – International Monetary Fund IRE – Islamic religious education MDG – Millennium Development Goal NGO – Non Governmental Organization SIDA – Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency 4 Table of content 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Purpose and problem areas ................................................................................................................ 9 Methodological approach .................................................................................................................. 9 Ethnography ................................................................................................................................ 10 Research methods ........................................................................................................................ 11 Limitation and selection .............................................................................................................. 12 Collection and arrangement of data ............................................................................................. 13 Ethical considerations .................................................................................................................. 14 Disposition ...................................................................................................................................... 15 2. Theory and previous research ......................................................................................................... 17 On curriculum, classification and framing – Using Basil Bernstein in the shaping of theoretical framework ....................................................................................................................................... 17 Curriculum .................................................................................................................................. 17 Classification ............................................................................................................................... 17 Framing ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Previous research ............................................................................................................................. 18 Religious education ..................................................................................................................... 18 Schooling in Africa ..................................................................................................................... 21 Religion in Africa ........................................................................................................................ 23 3. Religious education in Nairobi – a case study ................................................................................. 24 The Kenyan school system .............................................................................................................. 24 Teaching Religious Education ......................................................................................................... 25 Describing the context – the slums of Kibera ................................................................................. 26 School profile .................................................................................................................................. 26 Religious education in the Kenyan Curriculum .............................................................................. 27 4. Results ............................................................................................................................................. 28 Reading the expected – syllabuses as government policy implementation ..................................... 28 With mission to shape good Christians – CRE syllabus ............................................................. 28 In the name of Allah the most gracious most merciful – IRE syllabus ....................................... 29 Observing what is done – religious education in practice ............................................................... 31 Interviewing the teachers ................................................................................................................. 36 5. Analysis and discussion ................................................................................................................... 41 5 References ........................................................................................................................................... 46 Literature ......................................................................................................................................... 46 Prints and booklets .......................................................................................................................... 49 Internet sources ............................................................................................................................... 49 Classroom observations ................................................................................................................... 50 Interviews .......................................................................................................................................