Crusade to end Christian bias at schools marches on

The man behind the court bid to stop six schools praying, singing hymns, displaying Bible verses and promoting themselves as Christian says he does not want to eliminate religion from society.

Hans Pietersen in 2014 interdicted the schools from reading the Bible in assembly, praying after games and convening voluntary Christian meetings at break time.

He argued that it was unconstitutional for public schools to promote one religion, and that pupils who had to leave assembly because they followed a different faith were being discriminated against.

"Subliminal discrimination begins the moment the pupil needs to leavethe classroom or school hall," reads his affidavit.

The six Afrikaans schools, represented by the Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools, will oppose the interdict in the Johannesburg High Court today.

Pietersen says he wants the constitution and the Education Department's religious policy to allow for different faiths at schools.

He said: "You cannot have a white school that accommodates black children. You cannot have an ANC school that accommodates DA children. [Therefore] you cannot have a Christian school that accommodates Muslim children."

He says it is not right that taxpayers fund the religious indoctrination of children at public schools.

The schools argue that because attendance at Christian meetings at break is voluntary it should be allowed . They contend that the constitution allows both freedom of religion and the practice of religion in a public space and that the Schools Act gives governing bodies the authority to determine the religious policies of a school .

Pietersen said: "This case is not [targeting] Christianity. It is about the fair treatment of all religions in public schools."

The Council for the Advancement for the SA Constitution says the constitution does not allow schools to accommodate only one religion.

NGO Afriforum supports the schools. It has warned against the secularisation of society.