Religious diversity has become an increasingly prevalent phenomenon worldwide, extending its impact to Lesotho as well. Lesotho accommodates a wide array of religious beliefs, encompassing Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and indigenous religions. In response to this burgeoning religious landscape, the prominence of Religious Education (RE) in Lesotho's schools has grown, with the current secondary RE syllabus incorporating a theme on religious diversity. While the inclusion of this theme represents a positive step toward addressing societal continuous transformation, a critical evaluation of the genuineness of this theme is imperative. Therefore, this study employs a qualitative case study approach grounded in the theory of knowledge-constitutive interests to scrutinize the authenticity and efficacy of the theme of religious diversity within the syllabus. For data collection, document analysis is utilized to examine the RE syllabus, while purposive sampling facilitated the selection of two syllabus components: Learning outcomes and Suggested learning experiences. Findings emanating from the analysis revealed that while certain aspects of the religious diversity theme strive to foster an authentic portrayal of religious diversity, a portion of the theme falls short in providing substantive content or meaningful engagement. As a consequence, this study suggests that the review of the RE syllabus should ensure its alignment with the evolving understanding of religious diversity and its continued relevance to Lesotho’s religious context.
Religious diversity, genuine inclusion, superficial tokenism, paradigm
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development - IJTSRD having
online ISSN 2456-6470. IJTSRD is a leading Open Access, Peer-Reviewed International
Journal which provides rapid publication of your research articles and aims to promote
the theory and practice along with knowledge sharing between researchers, developers,
engineers, students, and practitioners working in and around the world in many areas
like Sciences, Technology, Innovation, Engineering, Agriculture, Management and
many more and it is recommended by all Universities, review articles and short communications
in all subjects. IJTSRD running an International Journal who are proving quality
publication of peer reviewed and refereed international journals from diverse fields
that emphasizes new research, development and their applications. IJTSRD provides
an online access to exchange your research work, technical notes & surveying results
among professionals throughout the world in e-journals. IJTSRD is a fastest growing
and dynamic professional organization. The aim of this organization is to provide
access not only to world class research resources, but through its professionals
aim to bring in a significant transformation in the real of open access journals
and online publishing.