| Summary: | A Research Project Submitted to the Faculty of Education,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in Partial
Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of
Education.
Johannesburg, 1982 === This research project examines the influence of the philosophy of Christian
National Education (C.N.E.) on the principles underlying South African
education,and attempts to determine the general trend of that influence
from 1948 to 1982.
To this end the project investigates the nature of C.N.E. by tracing the
development of the C.N.E. movement from its origins to the publication of
its official policy statement in 1948. This historical overview highlights
the fundamental shift in the movement from a religious to a more
secular and national outlook, as C.N.E. became associated more closely
with Afrikaner Nationalism and the National Party Government.
An examination of its effect on South African education reveals that
C.N.E. was a powerful influence on the system of Bantu Education and
permeated many aspects of White education. In recent years, however,
C.N.E.'s influence has been less noticeable and some of its tenets compromised.
No C.N.E. bias was detected in the principles of the de Lange
Commission (198i). From these findings it seems that C.N.E. has lost
its impetus and appeal for many Afrikaners. Nevertheless, the rightwing
Afrikaner reaction, against the de Lange Report and in favour of
C.N.E., suggests that this educational philosophy still is subscribed to
by a powerful section of Afrikanerdom.
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