Imagining A Relevant Religious Education in Modern Day Zambia

Abstract

The title of this article implies that Religious Education (R.E.) in Zambia has become irrelevant and outdated. This is true. There has not been any real change in our R.E. syllabuses since the 1977 Educational Reforms. As a result, our R.E. is no longer relevant and modern. Therefore, we should not be surprised if there is no more R.E. in our primary schools; and if in our secondary schools R.E. is compulsory only in the junior academic pathway! However, England which has inspired Zambia’s curricula, R.E. is compulsory there in all primary and secondary schools. Why is there such a big difference between England and Zambia? This article provides an understanding of what has happened to RE in England from which lessons can be learned. This article is based on three books. The first one comes from the Commission on Religious Education in England (CoRE); the other two were published in Zambia. The article is divided into three sections. Section one tries to answer the question, why is there such a difference between England and Zambia in terms of R.E.? Sections two and three offer some good suggestions how to make R.E. in Zambia relevant again and even compulsory like in England.