FINAL January 2012 A BRIEFING PAPER MUSLIM PRE-SCHOOLS IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REGION: LESSONS AND POLICY OPTIONS SUBMITTED TO UNICEF Western and Central African Regional Office Dakar, Senegal PREPARED BY Anil Khamis, PhD1 January 2012 1 Institute of Education University of London Email [email protected] 0 FINAL January 2012 A Briefing Paper for UNICEF Western and Central African Region Office Muslim Pre-Schools in the Western and Central African Region: Lessons and Policy Options Table of Contents Page Executive Summary 3 1. Introduction 6 Objectives and Methodology 2. Islam and History of Muslim Education in WCAR 11 Muslims and Education – Responding to a Crisis Attributes of Koranic Education 3. ECD Education Policy Context and Recent Knowledge 18 ECD and Muslim Communities Linking Values with Contemporary Priorities 4. WCAR Koranic Pre-School Provision 22 Policy Questions 5. The Madrasa Resource Centre Case Study 26 Background and Context Programme Inception and Outcomes Curriculum and Culture – What takes Precedence? Lessons Emerging from the MRC Case Study 6. Lessons for WCAR: Meeting Muslim Pre-School Education Needs 37 Supportive Policy Framework Pre-School Education and ECD in Muslim Communities: An Emergent Model A Staged Approach to ECD Programming from Inception to Going to Scale – A Three- Step Iterative Process 7. Conclusions and Recommendations 42 References Appendices A. Questionnaire UNICEF WCARO Koranic Preschool Provision 46 B. WCAR Questionnaire Data - Tabulated Findings and Interview Informants 48 1 FINAL January 2012 Acronyms ECD Early Childhood Development EFA Education for All MRC Madrasah Resource Centre WCAR Western and Central African Region WCARO Western and Central Africa Regional Office 2 FINAL January 2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Briefing Paper has been developed for UNICEF Western and Central Africa Regional Office WCARO as it considers available knowledge and approaches to promoting pre-school education for marginalised Muslim children. The impetus to promote pre-schooling arises from the Education for All (EFA) initiative, goal one: expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable. International statistics claim the marginalised communities, including Muslims, are least likely to access pre-schooling, which has proven benefits for overall human development with positive impact on health, psychosocial well-being and socio-economic benefits into adulthood. However, it is also evident that almost 100% of Muslim children access Koranic pre-schools and that such schooling is universally available. Little is known about these schools and their programmes are not well documented. This paper building on the available published and unpublished material as well as data from UNICEF Country Offices presents an analysis on the prevalence, typologies, and provision on offer in Koranic pre-schools. The analysis indicates that Koranic pre-schools have the potential to significantly contribute to EFA goals. Further, the paper shows that dynamism infuses such schools that are responding to legislative and market changes with new developments in the system. The paper presents a case study of a successful Koranic pre-school programme in East Africa where success is defined as access to and retention during primary education to lead a better quality of life. The paper presents a model for ECD innovation in the context of Muslim communities, which is proposed as a framework for WCAR. The model and a three-staged approach from programme inception to scalability is presented that builds on (i) acceptance of and inclusion of Koranic pre-schools in education statistical data; (ii) curriculum innovations that articulate with Muslim heritage and values; (iii) increased professionalism of teachers and education support staff. The paper concludes by presenting seven overarching lessons and six specific recommendations. These are centred on community involvement and inclusion of diversity within communities whether that is ethnic, linguistic or faith-based and that sustainability, which is to be considered within a long-term timeframe of decades rather than years, goes hand-in-hand with indigenisation processes. 3 FINAL January 2012 The first recommendation is for continued engagement by the international community to meet EFA goals via the agency of Koranic pre-schools. This support will be better informed based on critical research within Koranic pre-schools and with communities. Action research to learn lessons as well as establish an open dialogue with communities, with trained ECD teachers, is highly recommended to situate the learning in its cultural context. The second recommendation is that UNICEF and other international agency staff involved with education in Muslim majority contexts gain a better and deeper understanding of education in Muslim communities and particularly to understand what is transacted in Koranic schools, which is very different from their characterisation and perception in the documentation. It is recommended that action research be initiated at each country level to learn and apply lessons in evolving and dynamic community settings. The third recommendation is that a dialogue be established, under the auspices of the appropriate governmental authorities who oversee Koranic pre-schools and include the many providers of Koranic and hybrid schools. This dialogue can be facilitated by a thorough school mapping and updated survey of Koranic schools, with categorisation of the different types and ownership of schools. The dialogue can begin with overarching agreed understanding of education and the rights of all children to access schooling and developing an inclusive model to engage the stakeholders. The fourth recommendation is to seek ways to involve the pupils and community voices to further enhancement of the Koranic pre-schools, particularly with the aim to create school development plans that meet children’s holistic needs. The fifth recommendation is engagement of local (and international) scholars of education in Muslim communities, the religious leadership, and the relevant ministries to enhance the curricular provision of Koranic pre-schools and primary schools to ease transition from one to the other. The sixth recommendation is to undertake a school and village mapping exercise to determine the numbers of out of school children in the catchment area of the Koranic pre-schools to apprise and update official statistical data, which do not currently include Koranic schools data systematically. Two follow-up actions to this paper, which serves as an initial analysis of the Koranic pre-schools and their potential to serve EFA goals, are recommended for UNICEF WCARO and its partners and stakeholders. One, where information was not available or 4 FINAL January 2012 forthcoming, development agencies intervening in ECD and education as well as national stakeholders should look at those countries that did not have the requisite information to gather more robust statistical data on the different Koranic pre-schools in the region – they typology presented here can be used as a classification system: traditional, expanding and hybrid. Two, develop country case studies on empirical and survey data as well as grey literature to be identified. Such country specific case studies would provide an evidence-based understanding of the conditions of Koranic pre-schools along with regional characteristics and variances. Particularly important are the curriculum aims as they are transacted in teaching-learning processes and the involvement and participation of the community to mould the education on offer. It is proposed that action research be undertaken to develop these case studies that whilst learning lessons, qualitative support and improve the current provision. 5 FINAL January 2012 1. INTRODUCTION This briefing paper has been developed for the UNICEF Western and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO).2 It focuses on lessons learnt from early childhood development (ECD) programmes, particularly those targeting preschool education, in Muslim contexts. Despite the evidence presented here that Koranic3 pre-schools are widespread in WCAR, very few such programmes exist that have been thoroughly documented and evaluated. Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes’ role in closing the equity gaps among economic quintiles has proven to be particularly effective thanks to community-based approaches to ECD, which involves out of reach communities and the most vulnerable children. Furthermore, the relevance of investing in ECD has been extensively understood across cultures and communities in the world.4 Despite the need to improve quality of pre-school education as well as the environment in community based settings, research shows important progress in pre-school gross enrolment when Koranic pre- schools are taken into account. In 10 out of 24 countries of the Western and Central Africa Region (WCAR), the majority of the population is Muslim (see Table 3 below). However, Governments and development partners lack basic information on the existence and functioning Koranic preschools.5 Recent reports have highlighted progress in terms of the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals with regards to the fulfilment of young children’s rights. Most governments in Africa and specifically in WCAR have increased their commitment to ECD and have developed policies, strategic plans, and national early learning curricula for the provision