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The Madrasa in Mali: Examining Its Impacts, Role, and Curriculum Through the Experiences of Five Former Students

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The Madrasa in Mali: Examining Its Impacts, Role, and Curriculum Through the Experiences of Five Former Students The Madrasa in Mali: Examining Its Impacts, Role, and Curriculum Through the Experiences of Five Former Students by Abdrahamane Traore M.S., New York Institute of Technology, 2005 B.A., Al-Azhar University, 2001 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction © Abdrahamane Traore, 2020 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This Dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee The Madrasa in Mali: Examining Its Impacts, Role, and Curriculum Through the Experiences of Five Former Students by Abdrahamane Traore M.S., New York Institute of Technology, 2005 B.A., Al-Azhar University, 2001 Supervisory Committee Dr. Kathy Sanford, Department of Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor Dr. Graham McDonough, Department of Curriculum and Instruction Departmental Member Dr. Farouk Mitha, Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies Outside Member iii Abstract This multi-case study examined the experiences of five former students who attended madrasas in Mali between 1980 and 2009. These students were university graduates and worked in Bamako, Mali, at the time of data collection. With these five participants, I explored the religious, personal, social, educational, and professional effects of madrasa education on students, and I explored their perspectives about the curriculum, teaching, role, and future of madrasas in Mali, a Muslim majority country in West Africa. I collected research data through 15 semi-structured interviews and document review. The findings revealed that the participants perceived madrasas as needed in Mali for educating future Muslim religious leaders and scholars who understand the contemporary world and master Arabic, an essential language for Islamic scholarship and religious rituals. The participants argued that madrasa education connects Mali to its intellectual heritage, all of which was written in Arabic prior to French colonization. They equally stated that madrasa education enabled them to observe Islamic teachings in all aspects of their life and to know these teachings better than the average Malian Muslim. They were thus able to guide their family members, their coworkers, and their neighbours in religious matters. The findings also showed that the participants had strong foundations in Islamic subjects and Arabic. However, for lack of fluency in French or competencies in modern subjects, some participants faced difficulties in terms of higher education and career. Hence, the participants appreciated that the Malian government designed a new curriculum in 2003 to improve madrasa students’ fluency in French and competencies in modern subjects. This new curriculum gave students the opportunity to study at Malian public universities and enter the job market easier than before. However, the participants iv lamented that the new curriculum neglected Islamic subjects and Arabic. Neglecting these subjects, in participants’ views, threatens the religious mission of madrasas. To sustain madrasas in Mali for future generations, the participants thought that state officials and madrasas union need to cooperate to design a curriculum that balances Islamic subjects and Arabic with modern subjects and French; madrasa owners must pay teachers a good salary; teachers must teach with devotion; parents must supervise children’s education; and students must be advised about the importance of madrasas, university education, and careers. Based on these findings, I recommended that Malian state officials support madrasas because the role madrasas play in the Malian education sector cannot be substituted with other types of schools. I also proposed that curriculum designers structure the madrasa curriculum to balance Islamic subjects and Arabic with modern subjects and French. Structuring the curriculum as such makes madrasas respond well to the educational needs of students including religious needs and career aspirations. Hence, the madrasa continues to play its roles in Malian society. Keywords: Madrasa, Islamic school, curriculum, Mali, West Africa v Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii Table 1: Recapitulative of Participants’ Background Information (page 66) ............. viii Table 2: Example of the Code Table (page 73) ............................................................ viii Table 3: Sample Table in the Themes Document (page 74) ......................................... viii Table 4: Comparison of Old and New Curriculum: Subjects and Teaching Hours in Grad 6 (page 103) ........................................................................................................ viii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. ix Dedication ........................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Context ............................................................................................................................ 1 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 9 Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 9 Rationale and Significance ........................................................................................... 13 The Researcher.............................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 31 The Madrasa and the Evolution of Islamic Schooling in Mali ..................................... 33 What Role the Madrasa Plays in Mali .......................................................................... 41 The Organization and Operation of the Madrasa .......................................................... 43 The Diversity of Views about Madrasa Education ....................................................... 45 Teachers and Teaching Methods of Madrasas .............................................................. 47 Post-Madrasa Education and Careers of Madrasa Graduates ....................................... 49 The Madrasa within the Malian Education Landscape ................................................. 51 Madrasas in Mali and Madrasas in Select Muslim Countries....................................... 53 Chapter 3: Research Methodology.................................................................................... 57 Rationale for Qualitative Research Design ................................................................... 57 Rationale for Case Study Methodology ........................................................................ 58 Research Participants and Selection Criteria ................................................................ 61 Required Information to Achieve the Goals of the Study ............................................. 67 Overview of Research Design ...................................................................................... 68 Data Collection Methods .............................................................................................. 70 Method of Data Analysis and Synthesis ....................................................................... 72 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................. 76 Trustworthiness of the Study ........................................................................................ 77 Chapter 4: Findings ........................................................................................................... 84 Finding 1: The Madrasa Seen as a Necessity for Preserving Islam in Mali ................. 85 Why Participants’ Parents Sent Them to the Madrasa ............................................. 86 Participants’ Views About Sending Children to the Madrasa .................................. 89 Participants’ Views about the Role of Madrasas in Mali ......................................... 92 Finding 2: The Diversity of Curriculum and Teaching of Madrasas .......................... 101 vi The Old and New Curriculum Based on Official Documents ................................. 102 The Curriculum That Existed When the Participants Attended the Madrasa ........ 108 Participants’ Perception about the Reformed Curriculum ....................................
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