Professional Society – Catholic Institute of Education

A professional society of religious educators was established at the national conference, Gathering at the Well, in May 2008.

Since then, significant changes have become apparent and the signs are there for the professional society to take on a new look and a new identity. The main changes are:

The periodical of the society will change in name from The Well to Roots & Wings, following the name of the second national conference, held in 2013
Roots and Wings will not appear in print, but will be sent to members electronically via email. It will also be available on the CIE website
There will, as a result, be no subscription fee. Here is some background to the society and what it offers

Scroll down the page to the heading "Roots & Wings" to download the periodical.

Purposes

To organise religious educators in Catholic schools in South Africa
To expose religious educators to the wider perspectives of Religious Education in Africa and the world
To enrich religious educators through contact with key persons and developments in the field
To develop a robust and educationally sound and challenging discipline of Religious Education

Benefits

Networking with other religious educators on a national basis
Being a focal point and voice for concerns in Religious Education in South Africa
Networking with other national and international bodies involved in Religious Education
Producing the Roots & Wings periodical five times a year
Creating opportunities for sharing personal resources

Membership

Membership is free
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in Religious Education

Download the 2024 membership form.

Professional standards

Religious Education is an essential key learning area in all South African Catholic schools, and given its significance to and for the Catholic school’s identity, mission and curriculum, the idea of specific teaching standards for this area needs some attention.

You can test yourself in terms of standards developed through a research project conducted among primary and secondary teachers in Catholic schools in parts of Australia. Download Professional Standards for Teachers of Religious Education here.