The effects of discontinuity of Religious Education in primary schools: A case study of Dzwerani Village

Avheani Carol Sambula ORCID iD, Hundzukani P. Khosa ORCID iD & Takalani Samuel Mashau ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol. 12 No.7 2026 Issue Article 6 pp.320 – 331
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261276 Published online 23rd September 2026.
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Before South Africa’s democratic transition in 1994, public schools routinely incorporated Christian-oriented Religious Instruction, including daily prayers and Bible-based teaching, across primary and secondary levels. With the adoption of a secular constitutional framework, confessional Religious Instruction was discontinued and replaced by Religious Education embedded within broader learning areas, such as Life Orientation. Although this shift aimed to promote religious freedom and inclusivity, it also altered learners’ formal engagement with structured moral and religious content. This study examined the implications of the absence of structured Religious Education in primary schools in Dzwerani village, Limpopo Province. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through open-ended questionnaires administered to key stakeholders, including parents, teachers, school principals, and a local religious leader. The findings indicated widespread concern regarding the discontinuity of formal Religious Education, with participants associating its absence with behavioural challenges among learners, including bullying and a perceived decline in moral guidance. Respondents expressed strong support for the reintroduction or strengthening of an inclusive and non-confessional Religious Education programme within the national curriculum. It concludes that a critical reconsideration of Religious Education policy and practice is necessary to balance constitutional principles with learners’ holistic developmental needs, particularly in rural communities. This study contributes to existing academic knowledge by improving understanding of how religious and moral education influences the character formation, social behaviour, and holistic development of learners. The study’s recommendations included the reintroduction of structured, inclusive religious education in primary schools.

Keywords: Religious Education, Moral Development, Primary Schools, Social Cohesion, South Africa.

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Avheani Carol Sambula is a Master of Arts in Theology student at the University of Venda.

Hundzukani Portia Khosa holds a PhD from the University of Pretoria. She is an associate Professor at North-West University in the school of Christian Ministry and leadership. Prior to joining North-West University, she was a senior lecturer in the Department of Human Sciences at the University of Venda.

Prof Takalani Samuel Mashau is the Deputy Dean of Research and Postgraduate Studies in the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education at the University of Venda in South Africa. He is a Professor of Comparative Education.

Sambula, Avheani Carol, Hundzukani P. Khosa, and Takalani Samuel Mashau. “The effects of discontinuity of Religious Education in primary schools: A case study of Dzwerani Village.”  E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 12, no.7 (2026):320 – 331 https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20261276

© 2026 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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