Towards a more defensible interreligious education curriculum for Singapore primary schools

• Main Author: Junaidah Jaffar
• Other Authors: Paul Hedges
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::General
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76105
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper aims to explore how to design a curriculum for primary school children in Singapore that would inculcate within them the understanding and empathy to interact meaningfully with the religious 'other'. It is a challenge for a secular society like Singapore to have its ethno-religiously diverse population interact meaningfully with their religious 'others'- not to simply live side by side with one another, but to do so in a socially cohesive manner that would stand the challenges of navigating complex issues that arise in this modem, globalised world. Such a curriculum goes beyond merely including religious traditions other than students' home tradition in the curriculum, but the curriculum should also actively make connections amongst the various traditions in terms of comparisons of commonalities of the ethics the religion teaches or contrasts of the different views the various religious communities may have on societal issues or towards one another. This curriculum would be consonant with the goals laid out in Singapore's framework for the 21st Century Competencies and Student Outcomes, such as cross-cultural skills, and the social and emotional competency of self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship management. All this is essential and relevant in meeting Singapore's urgent need to build social cohesion and maintain harmony, which are the aims of its national movement, SGSecure, the nation's proactive response towards any imminent terrorist attacks on its soil.