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Kenya launches Islamic studies curriculum in madrasas
A new curriculum being piloted in religious schools in Kenya aims to streamline Islamic studies and ensure extremist teachings are not propagated in madrasas.
The development of the new curriculum was a joint effort spearheaded by al-Muntada al-Islami Trust, an international charity organisation based in the United Kingdom, in partnership with the Council of Muslim Scholars in Kenya, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and representatives from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
Failure to have a unified Islamic studies curriculum in madrasas has left gaps that fiery clerics have been exploiting to radicalise youths , said Sheikh Abdilatif Abdulkarim, an executive board member with al-Mutanda al-Islami Trust in Nairobi.
"We think this is one way of dealing with extremism," he told Sabahi. "With the curriculum we will be able to commit the teachers of these madrasas to delivering content that is relevant to the children, and it will be easier to hold accountable those who defy the rules through evaluations."
The curriculum, which took three years to develop, will also include lessons on the values of tolerance and the importance of nationhood, he said.
"Apart from embracing Islam, we need these children to remain patriotic to their nation and love other citizens irrespective of their faiths when they grow up," he said. "It is only through education that they can acquire those skills, which is the reason we have incorporated [those lessons] in the curriculum. That will make it hard for them to fall prey to criminal elements like terrorists."
The 90-day pilot programme was rolled out February 6th in schools in Mombasa, Nairobi and Garissa that are participating voluntarily, Abdulkarim said, adding that they hope to adopt the curriculum nationwide by January 2015.
Lawyer Ibrahim Lethome , who helped write the new curriculum and is now working to implement it, told Sabahi there was an urgent need to unify and standardise Islamic studies in independent religious schools since the Kenyan Ministry of Education formally recognised them.
"We have had a vacuum in this area, and therefore this curriculum is a step towards filling that vacuum and having these institutions respond to our teaching needs," said Lethome, an expert on sharia law and member of the Jamia Mosque Committee based in Nairobi.
"What we are doing now is testing the programme through the pilot project," he said. "In the spirit of public participation, during this period we will be able to get the opinions of parents and other stakeholders on what the curriculum should look like."
Promoting understanding Before the curriculum is approved for use nationwide, the pilot programme will be evaluated and subject to modifications, said Abdi Kheir, a programme officer for KICD, the government entity in charge of evaluating and approving curricula for Kenyan schools below university level.
"All in all, this is a big leap in the right direction and it will definitely turn around how Islamic studies are taught in the country," he told Sabahi.
Having a known and approved curriculum will help eliminate undue suspicion from the general public concerned with what goes on in informal schools, he said. "This will help promote understanding and appreciation." During the pilot evaluation, KICD will continue to provide technical assistance, he said. Once the final curriculum is approved, madrasas will be required to adopt it as a precondition to receiving a license to operate.
For his part, Sheikh Abu Hamzah, imam of Mosque Huda in Mombasa, praised the curriculum saying it is bringing uniformity in content delivery and will help communities develop common religious approaches to solving problems. The new curriculum also provides guidelines for educators on teaching techniques, said Hamzah, whose school is participating in the pilot.
"It has detailed teaching practices for us educators, ranging from how to arrange [lessons], and plan daily teaching routines and curriculum content for every age group, which means we will be systematic in our approaches, and thus avoid wasting time," he told Sabahi.
Kenya launches Islamic studies curriculum in madrasas - Sabahionline.com
SOURCE: matumbomatumbo
A new curriculum being piloted in religious schools in Kenya aims to streamline Islamic studies and ensure extremist teachings are not propagated in madrasas.
The development of the new curriculum was a joint effort spearheaded by al-Muntada al-Islami Trust, an international charity organisation based in the United Kingdom, in partnership with the Council of Muslim Scholars in Kenya, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims and representatives from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).
Failure to have a unified Islamic studies curriculum in madrasas has left gaps that fiery clerics have been exploiting to radicalise youths , said Sheikh Abdilatif Abdulkarim, an executive board member with al-Mutanda al-Islami Trust in Nairobi.
"We think this is one way of dealing with extremism," he told Sabahi. "With the curriculum we will be able to commit the teachers of these madrasas to delivering content that is relevant to the children, and it will be easier to hold accountable those who defy the rules through evaluations."
The curriculum, which took three years to develop, will also include lessons on the values of tolerance and the importance of nationhood, he said.
"Apart from embracing Islam, we need these children to remain patriotic to their nation and love other citizens irrespective of their faiths when they grow up," he said. "It is only through education that they can acquire those skills, which is the reason we have incorporated [those lessons] in the curriculum. That will make it hard for them to fall prey to criminal elements like terrorists."
The 90-day pilot programme was rolled out February 6th in schools in Mombasa, Nairobi and Garissa that are participating voluntarily, Abdulkarim said, adding that they hope to adopt the curriculum nationwide by January 2015.
Lawyer Ibrahim Lethome , who helped write the new curriculum and is now working to implement it, told Sabahi there was an urgent need to unify and standardise Islamic studies in independent religious schools since the Kenyan Ministry of Education formally recognised them.
"We have had a vacuum in this area, and therefore this curriculum is a step towards filling that vacuum and having these institutions respond to our teaching needs," said Lethome, an expert on sharia law and member of the Jamia Mosque Committee based in Nairobi.
"What we are doing now is testing the programme through the pilot project," he said. "In the spirit of public participation, during this period we will be able to get the opinions of parents and other stakeholders on what the curriculum should look like."
Promoting understanding Before the curriculum is approved for use nationwide, the pilot programme will be evaluated and subject to modifications, said Abdi Kheir, a programme officer for KICD, the government entity in charge of evaluating and approving curricula for Kenyan schools below university level.
"All in all, this is a big leap in the right direction and it will definitely turn around how Islamic studies are taught in the country," he told Sabahi.
Having a known and approved curriculum will help eliminate undue suspicion from the general public concerned with what goes on in informal schools, he said. "This will help promote understanding and appreciation." During the pilot evaluation, KICD will continue to provide technical assistance, he said. Once the final curriculum is approved, madrasas will be required to adopt it as a precondition to receiving a license to operate.
For his part, Sheikh Abu Hamzah, imam of Mosque Huda in Mombasa, praised the curriculum saying it is bringing uniformity in content delivery and will help communities develop common religious approaches to solving problems. The new curriculum also provides guidelines for educators on teaching techniques, said Hamzah, whose school is participating in the pilot.
"It has detailed teaching practices for us educators, ranging from how to arrange [lessons], and plan daily teaching routines and curriculum content for every age group, which means we will be systematic in our approaches, and thus avoid wasting time," he told Sabahi.
Kenya launches Islamic studies curriculum in madrasas - Sabahionline.com
SOURCE: matumbomatumbo