Imam Habib Rauf, Glasgow Central Mosque

Introduction
You will be pleased to know that a group of interested parents, educationalists and imams have been looking, for some time, into the prospects of setting up a Muslim learning institute for children aged 5 - 12. This institute would be a primary school which would have a mainstream curriculum taught through an Islamic ethos. It would be based in Glasgow.

After a couple of failed attempts in the past four decades, this has become a taboo subject in our city and it would appear that nobody wishes to discuss this further. Parents who were not in Glasgow when such iconic institutes were falling apart in this city may not be able to comprehend the anxieties attached to this subject.

However, we do not need to lose heart, as long as we are committed to learning from the mistakes of the past. Many parents are very keen to see a successful Islamic primary school in our city. Seeing children running from school to masjid to bed to school and becoming disorientated half-way through the week is not a pleasant experience for any child or any parent. Hearing children use ‘strange’ vocabulary, seeing them lock their bed-rooms during the day, avoiding eye contact with their parents are nightmares that many parents fear, not to mention what these occurrences lead to when they become reality.

There are families that are leaving Glasgow and moving to other towns and cities in England, only because we do not have Islamic schools in this city. These talented brothers and sisters would have stayed here – closer to their extended families in some cases – if only there was such a provision in our city.

We discussed this subject with many parents and numerous community reps at the Masjid, and were encouraged to learn that they had similar concerns. We then spoke to those who had tried to run such schools in the past and to a few senior Muslim Teachers in mainstream schools in our city. The group have taken advice from the Scottish Government and HM Inspectorate of Education, consulted a few Islamic schools in England and studied their model. We have produced a plan of action and looked into how the school should be managed.

Now we would like to know how many parents would wish to send their children to such an Islamic school.

The Proposal
In order to increase the prospects of success, we plan to start with a nursery and only one class of the Primary School; P1. However, to cater for both genders, we will need to start with a class of 15 boys at P1 and P2, and with a class of 15 girls at the same stages.

The proposed venue is the Glasgow Central Mosque Community Centre. The primary teaching staff will be experienced and with relevant qualifications. Their salaries would be competitive with the mainstream schools. A few prominent members of the community have promised financial backing and we do not expect to encounter financial problems. At the beginning parents will be asked, in terms of fee, to pay £10 weekly (x 52 weeks) in addition to donating the child-benefit they receive for the concerned child.

We aim to teach the mainstream curriculum, similar to that in the primary schools in Scotland with the Islamic ethos. The following timetable is proposed:

8AM – 10:50AM (with 1 break in between): Qur’an and Islamic Studies Class
11AM – 4:30PM (with 2 breaks in between): Curriculum for Excellence (based on the new Initiatives by the Scottish Executive)

These children will not have to attend an evening Masjid school. We do however, have an interest in running sports clubs for our pupils where and when possible. Our aim with the children would be to encourage them to complete their HIFZ-UL-QUR’AN IL-KARIM by the end of their primary school education.

Though we have made preparations, the final details will only be confirmed in a meeting with the parents. The school will initially be governed by a group of educationalists and Imams, as authorised by Jamiat Ittihad-ul-Muslimin.

The last date for registering your interest is the 10th of May. If enough interest is not registered by this date, the idea may have to be dropped for the year 2008-9.

If you have any queries, or would like to have a draft copy of the proposed prospectus, please email habib.rauf (at) hotmail.co.uk, or contact the Imams at 0141 429 3132 (10am – 2pm) or text 07826 850714.