The Contribution of Religious Instruction to the Contemporary Challenges of Central African Republic Youth: A case study of FATEB Secondary School

Abstract

This article explores the contribution of the teaching of religious instruction in the lives of students at the FATEB Evangelical Secondary School in the face of the challenges that young people are going through today. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and students, and from unpublished sources. The FATEB secondary school was created to allow student pastors and their wives to follow classes well while their children are taken care of in the classrooms. With the military-political crises that have shaken the country, parents of students have preferred to enroll their children in FATEB schools. This is what has driven the FATEB schools to grow. Very early on, the religious instruction course was included in the curriculum of the student's training in addition to the official curriculum developed by the Ministry of National Education. However, the pastors who teach the religious instruction course have an aptitude for the pastoral side. The data showed that they lack professionalism on the pedagogical side. The ministry of these teachers has contributed spiritually as some conversions to Christ are recorded and also some students have changed their behavior. However, much remains to be done to improve the contribution of the teaching of the Religious Instruction course in the lives of these students. Some suggestions and recommendations were made towards the end of the article to achieve these results.