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Islamic Perspectives Islamic Perspectives And Other Extra Mural Courses for Muslim Schools ● ● ● Over the past 10 – 15 years Muslims in many parts of Nigeria have woken up to the need to establish Islamically-oriented independent (private) schools at nursery, primary and secondary levels where children can get the best of modern education and Islamic orientation. ● ● ● New Horizons College / Islamic Orientation Board / Da‘wah Institute of Nigeria, IET Education Department, Islamic Education Trust, P.M.B. 229, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria Website: www.ietonline.org November 2009 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 New Horizons College: Islamic Education Trust: Da’wah Institute of Nigeria ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES AND OTHER EXTRA MURAL COURSES FOR MUSLIM SCHOOLS Over the past 10 – 15 years Muslims in many parts of Nigeria have woken up to the need to establish Islamically-oriented independent (private) schools at nursery, primary and secondary levels where children can get the best of modern education and Islamic orientation. This write-up is a humble effort to help proprietors and Head Teachers of such schools to develop a curriculum that gives the children the best start in life. It is also meant for parents of students in New Horizons College, Associations of Muslim Schools in all parts of the world and members of IBERR (International Board for Educational Research and Resources) with whom we work hand in hand at international level. The first few years of a new school are not easy, and proprietors and administrators have much to do to get competent and stable staff, to handle finances, to equip the school, to get approval from the Ministry of Education and to face the National examinations. At the same time Muslim proprietors and staff need to take a number of decisions in answer to the question “What makes an Islamic school “Islamic”?” Proprietors and parents have many different answers to this question. For some, what they want is just Islamic Studies, Arabic and Qur’anic recitation, plus the National Curriculum. Some parents also want their children not only to read the whole Qur’an with tajwid but also to memorize it. Others would like the medium of communication in the school to be Arabic. The school eventually faces reality and decides on how to balance the wishes of Muslim parents and the demands of the National Curriculum. However, on the basis of our practical experience, the availability of Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Qur’anic recitation does not make an Islamic school “Islamic” unless the school is lucky enough to have really charismatic teachers who can bring the subjects to life. Unfortunately such teachers are rare, and for most students Islamic Studies is just another subject that is not very important for West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams. Arabic Language is hard to pass and is soon forgotten when a student leaves school, and Qur’anic mallams (i.e. Page | 2 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 traditional local teachers) do not usually teach the meaning of the Qur’an in English or in vernacular. Due to this scanty and superficial Islamic teaching there is little behavioural difference between the graduate of a secular school and the graduate of a so- called “Islamic” school. It is against this background that New Horizons College in Minna set up an “Islamic Orientation Board” to look more closely into “what makes an Islamic school “Islamic”?” The Board, drawn from proprietors, school management, selected school staff and selected staff of the Islamic Education Trust, looked into the entire student experience within the school, from the call for Fajr prayer and throughout the day until “lights out” in the night. A school that is predominately boarding has several advantages since there is time for many activities in the evenings and at weekends and more opportunity to monitor and counsel boarders in terms of conduct, attitudes, personal problems and spiritual matters. Over the past 10 years the College has gradually introduced a good number of programmes that are not part of the National Curriculum but are in many ways even more important than most of the “subjects” in the curriculum, which are quickly forgotten as soon as West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams are out of the way and students focus on their university academic priorities. Each programme adopted by New Horizons College is designed to help the student to grow and think and act as a Muslim. Some of the programmes are designed to draw deeper meaning from subjects or topics that are normally taught from a secular perspective in accordance with the National Curriculum. Some programmes are taught as part of the regular daily classes. Some replace the usual time-table. Some are conducted in the afternoons or at weekends. The following is a list of current programmes, followed by an explanation of the rationale and highlights of each programme. Useful books and DVD’s will be mentioned. However we recommend that schools should teach the programme in their own way and also vary the contents and teaching methods to avoid boredom of either the teacher or the students. Hajiya B. Aisha Lemu Director General, Islamic Education Trust (I.E.T) Page | 3 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 Training Courses/Workshops for Teachers Islam and Dialogue for Peaceful Co-existence Teachers and others wishing to take this course for da’wah or teaching purposes should apply to the Director of DIN (Da‘wah Institute of Nigeria), Islamic Education Trust, P.M.B. 229, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria; Email: [email protected]. Courses are organized at various times of the year at different levels. Islamic Perspectives and Other Courses If any school wishes to adopt Islamic Perspectives or any of the other courses mentioned, it should contact the Principal, New Horizons College, P.O. Box 3066, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria; E-mail: [email protected]. The College from time to time receives small groups for discussion, training and observation of the courses in action. There is a modest fee for accommodation, feeding and workshops. Teachers and Developers of Islamic Perspectives and other courses Page | 4 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 COURSES SECTION 1: SECONDARY LEVEL 1. Self-discovery Adventure (Junior Secondary Students) 2. World Geography – (JSS 2) (1 period per week) 3. World History – (JSS 2, JSS 3, SS 1, SS 2) (1 period per week) 4. Islamic Perspectives (JSS 2, JSS 3, SS 1, SS 2) (Juniors 2 periods, Seniors 1 period per week) 5. Public Speaking (JSS 2, JSS 3) (1 period per week) 6. Islam and Dialogue for Peaceful Co-existence (Senior Secondary 1 and 2) (2 whole days for each class at the beginning of each term). 7. Personal development and Leadership (Seniors) 8. a) Girl Talk (SS 2&3 Girls) Pre-marital Counselling b) Guys’ Gist (SS 2& 3 Boys) 9. Spouse Selection in Islam: (SS 3 Boys & Girls) 10. Business and Islamic Financial Literacy (SS 1 and SS 2) 11. Career Counselling (SS 1 and SS 2) 12. The Six Thinking Hats (SS 1 and SS 2) 13. Prefects Training Activities 14. Qur’anic Arabic (SS 1 and SS 2) 15. Nasihah (Good Advice) (all students) SUMMARY OF PROGRAMMES 1. Self-Discovery Adventure (JSS) This course, designed for students in the Junior Secondary classes, teaches skills and principles for achieving a high level of effectiveness in all aspects of life. The students are introduced to the concepts of ‘planting deep roots’, deliberate and planned habit formation and visual goal setting. They are also provided with practical hints on character building. The aim of the course is to: Page | 5 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 awaken the students’ minds to the influence that they are capable of wielding over their lives; inspire them to make wiser and more fulfilling choices on a regular basis. 2. World Geography (JSS 2) (One period per week for 1 year) In JSS 2 the students begin World History. They need at the same time to have some basic knowledge of World Geography. The course covers: Stars, galaxies, the Big Bang, the Sun, the Solar system, Planets, the Earth, Seasons and Climate, Water cycle, Oxygen Cycle, Surface of the earth, continents, oceans and seas, political maps, globes, countries and capital cities. The course then turns to visual understanding of climate and its effects on the land, vegetation, animals and human habitation, and lastly climate change. Source Materials: DVD’s on Planet Earth; and State of the Planet (by David Attenborough), An Inconvenient Truth (by Al Gore). 3. World History (JSS 2, JSS 3, SS 1, SS 2) (One period per week for 4 years) This course is intended to fill a great gap in the National Syllabus. It begins with the Stone Age and the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, the Mediterranean, Meso-America, and the Muslim world and modern world history. (Reference book used: The Complete Book of the World History. American Educational Publishing. ISBN 1-56189-089-8 plus assorted DVD’s on civilizations of the past.) Page | 6 © Islamic Education Trust, Nigeria 2009 4. Islamic Perspectives (JSS 1, JSS 2, JSS 3, SS 1, SS 2) (Juniors twice a week, Seniors once a week) Islamic Perspectives is a course devised by New Horizons College and developed over the past 8 years. The College recognized that to implement “Islamization of Knowledge” (as proposed by some Muslim scholars since the World Conferences on Islamic Education in the 1970’s and 1980’s) would not be feasible or practical in the current secular educational environment. Instead of replacing the secular system, the College has introduced a parallel Islamic approach to knowledge. Students therefore learn and fully understand the secular approach to the sciences and other fields of study, but also, under the guidance of a separate teacher, they explore the subjects from an Islamic perspective and thereby enrich their understanding of the subjects and develop a greater appreciation of Allah’s creation and His bounties to mankind.
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