The Gülen philosophy of education and its application in a South African school

Abstract

This chapter examines the ethical philosophy of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic thinker, and his impact on moral education in Turkey and South Africa. In the South African context, we will examine the application of Gülen’s thought at Star International High School, Cape Town. With evidence based on interviews with teachers and principals, the chapter looks at how character education is being applied at this school. Turkish educators at Star International had to cope with new challenges which they have not encountered in other parts of the world. Character education helps infuse in learners both universal values and values that assist academic and personal performance. In the South Africa there are religious private schools and secular liberal private schools. This chapter will raise the question of whether Gülen schools provide a middle way between these two types of schools and to assess the extent to which Gülen schools prepare learners to integrate into a pluralist society.