wfn.org | Christian Schools In Malawi May Have To Teach Koran

[APD <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

July 16, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Catholic and other Christian Schools In Malawi May 
Have To Teach Koran 

Lolongwe/Malawi.        Roman Catholic and other 
Christian schools in  Malawi may be forced to teach 
the Koran if a proposed reform regarding  religious 
education for the Junior Certificate Examination 
Syllabus goes ahead. 

The reform, which is supported by Muslims and has 
been stopped by protests on the part of Christian 
churches, would abolish the subject Bible 
Knowledge and replace it with Religious and Moral 
Education which includes teaching the Koran and 
Traditional African Religions. 

This reform, sources said, connected with other 
facts, would appear clearly to be steps in a plan to 
"Islamise" the country: Last December, the Muslim 
Eid feast was made a national holiday and recently 
the school calendar was adapted to Muslim culture. 
Pressure from Muslim donor countries -Libya and 
Saudi Arabia- was apparently behind the changes. 

The reform, which has been suspended for the 
moment, would take effect in all schools, state run 
and grant-aided (run mainly by the Catholic Church 
and a few other Christian denominations). This 
would mean Catholic schools would have to include 
in the curriculum the study of the Koran and 
Traditional African Religions and employ teachers to 
give the lessons. 

The Roman Catholic bishops sent a memorandum of 
protest against the reform to the Minster of 
Education also denouncing the unilateral procedure 
to adopt it. In fact the Muslim Association of Malawi, 
unlike other religious associations, was able to 
follow the development of the reform from the 
start. 

After the Church's protest President Bakili Muluzi 
withdrew the reform and set up a National 
Consultative Committee composed of the ministry 
and the denominations involved: the Catholic 
Church, the Malawi Council of Churches, the Muslim 
Association of Malawi, Seventh Day Adventists, and 
African Traditional Religions. 

Malawi has a population of about 10 million. 
Christians make up 64.5 percent (Catholics 27.6 
percent and other Christians 33.7 percent). The 
Malawi Union of Seventh_day Adventist Church 
counts more than 173'000 baptised adult church 
members in 560 local congregations. Adventists 
operate four educational institutions in Malawi: The 
Lake View Seminary and Training Centre in 
Mlangeni; the Lunjika Secondary School in 
Eswazini; the Malamulo Secondary School in 
Makwasa and the Matandani Training School in 
Neno.

Muslims consist of 16 percent and the rest are 
Animists. Malawi's literacy rate, 56 percent, is 
among the highest in Africa, thanks also to the 
Church's network of schools at all grades. 
(214/2000)