The teachers’ discourse on religion and morality

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a study which was done to investigate schoolteachers’ discourse on morality. The teachers used three dimensions to construct and present their discourse on morality: food, religion and relationship. These teachers were drawn from different types of private and public schools in Delhi, the capital of India. The teachers considered religion as a defining aspect of their lives and associated morality with it in an intricate manner. They taught in schools that did not impart religious education; however, their own religious beliefs formed a strong and reliable reference point for their professional role.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• morality
• schoolteachers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. There are various types of schools under the umbrella term government schools in India, as these include the schools which are managed by the state or central government. The salaries of teachers and other employees are paid by the government and so is the provision for infrastructure and resources.

2. The schools established and run by private organisations need mandatory recognition by the government. They do not receive any grant from the government, but they are governed by the structures and norms of various regulatory institutions.

3. Namaz is the prayer performed by Muslims five times in a day.

4. Aarti: A Hindu religious ritual of worship in which light is offered to the deity. It refers to songs sung in praise of deity accompanied by a circular action of rotating the light.

5. Navratras: Hindu festival that spans nine nights and ten days. Theoretically, there are four seasonal navratris. The post monsoon autumn navratri is considered most significant. It is celebrated in honour of the divine feminine (durga).

6. Shivling is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu God Shiva. It is often found in Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva. The popular belief is that shivling represents the phallus and stands for the generative power in nature.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vishakha Kumar

Dr. Vishakha Kumar is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Elementary Education, Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University. She has done her Ph.D from the Deaprtment of Education, Delhi Univeristy. Her Ph.D thesis was titled ‘Conceptions of Morality Among School Teachers’. Her academic interest lie in using psychological frameworks to understand how people negotiate culture and traditions. She teachers Cognition and Learning and Curriculum Studies as part of the the program.