BCVO
Encyclopedia
The BCVO (Movement for Christian-National Education) is an educational organisation in South Africa
, committed to providing primary and secondary education (grade 1 through 12) in the Calvinist
tradition and Afrikaans language. There are currently 41 directly affiliated schools throughout South Africa—mainly in the areas of the former "Boer Republics
" of the Orange Free State
and the Transvaal
, educating approximately 2100 children.
adheres to the outline of the government's Curriculum 2005, but is becoming increasingly different from that of the public school system. Religion is regarded as extremely important and every subject is taught from a Christian perspective. The academic standard of the BCVO schools is regarded as of a very high standard. The most common subjects within the BCVO are Afrikaans, English, Biblical science, mathematics
, science
, biology
, geography
, German
, accounting and (Christian) Life Orientation.
for boys and netball
for girls in various age groups, from under-7 to under-19. Other sports like tennis
and cricket
are also played, although interest and participation in these sports are limited.
The BCVO holds its annual national athletics competition during March, in which the top athletes from various schools in the different districts (Eastern Transvaal, Northwest and Central Transvaal; Limpopo
, and the Orange Free State) participate.
The highlight on the BCVO sporting calendar, however, is the "BCVO Winterspele" (Winter Games), held annually in June, where nearly 650 rugby players and 300 netball players participate in various age groups, representing their regions. An under 19 national BCVO Rugby side, consisting of a squad of 22 players, and a national under 19 netball side, consisting of a squad of 10 players, are selected at the end of the games.
Teams are selected to participate in the Bokkieweek.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, committed to providing primary and secondary education (grade 1 through 12) in the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
tradition and Afrikaans language. There are currently 41 directly affiliated schools throughout South Africa—mainly in the areas of the former "Boer Republics
Boer Republics
The Boer Republics were independent self-governed republics created by the northeastern frontier branch of the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the north eastern Cape Province and their descendants in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the country of...
" of the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and the Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, educating approximately 2100 children.
Principles
The schools affiliated with the BCVO are committed to the following principles:- Teaching that the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is the divinely inspired and infallible Word of God and the highest authority. - Teaching conservative, ChristianChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
values in a secular world. - Teaching the Calvinist-Reformed faith and holding to all its doctrines against heresies.
- Teaching Afrikaner culture and history, constantly reminding Afrikaner children of their heritage and identity.
Academics
The BCVO has an examination body, the Examination Board for Christian Education (acronym: ERCO - Afrikaans: "EksamenRaad vir Christelike Onderwys") (formerly called the "Onafhanklike Afrikaanse Eksamenraad" (OAER)), which is accredited and registered with the government institutions, including the quality controlling body, Umalusi. Its curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
adheres to the outline of the government's Curriculum 2005, but is becoming increasingly different from that of the public school system. Religion is regarded as extremely important and every subject is taught from a Christian perspective. The academic standard of the BCVO schools is regarded as of a very high standard. The most common subjects within the BCVO are Afrikaans, English, Biblical science, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, accounting and (Christian) Life Orientation.
Sport
Various sports are played in BCVO schools, most notably rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
for boys and netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
for girls in various age groups, from under-7 to under-19. Other sports like tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
are also played, although interest and participation in these sports are limited.
The BCVO holds its annual national athletics competition during March, in which the top athletes from various schools in the different districts (Eastern Transvaal, Northwest and Central Transvaal; Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
, and the Orange Free State) participate.
The highlight on the BCVO sporting calendar, however, is the "BCVO Winterspele" (Winter Games), held annually in June, where nearly 650 rugby players and 300 netball players participate in various age groups, representing their regions. An under 19 national BCVO Rugby side, consisting of a squad of 22 players, and a national under 19 netball side, consisting of a squad of 10 players, are selected at the end of the games.
Teams are selected to participate in the Bokkieweek.
See also
- CVO Skool PretoriaCVO Skool PretoriaCVO Skool Pretoria is a private Christian school in the Calvinist and "Boer" tradition. The school is located in Lynnwood, Pretoria, South Africa....
- Afrikaner CalvinismAfrikaner CalvinismAfrikaner Calvinism is, according to theory, a unique cultural development that combined the Calvinist religion with the political aspirations of the white Afrikaans speaking people of South Africa....
- Afrikaner NationalismAfrikaner nationalismAfrikaner nationalism is a political ideology that was born in the late 19th century around the idea that Afrikaners in South Africa were a "chosen people"; it was also strongly influenced by anti-British sentiments that grew strong among the Afrikaners, especially because of the Boer Wars...
- BoerBoerBoer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
- AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...