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@hotmail.co.uk, or contact the Imams at 0141 429 3132 (10am – 2pm) or text 07826 850714.
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| Primary School Letter to Parents (Word document) | 33 KB |
Posted in
Submitted by admin on 18 April 2008 - 11:44am.
Anonymous | 23 May 2008 - 3:04pm
aslam-o-ailkum
im interested to send my kids to the muslim primary school only if all the staff are fully qualified and if the girls are taught women and boys are taught by men and if i could afford the fees.if the fees increases after the first year i might have to rethink.i want my daughter to be an aalima that will be a perfect oppurtunity for her and for us.as you know what happened to iqra academy i want to be careful incase...and i want to know how will be incharge?i hope it works so that i could send my son and daughter and i hope the fees is right.
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»Anonymous | 21 June 2008 - 8:13pm
Muslim Schools
One of the fundamental aim of Muslim schools is to help the children to develop Islamic Identity which is crucial for mental, emotional and personality development. Without a positive co-relation between school and home the education of children will suffer and hinder their academic progress. There is plenty of evidence to support why majority of Muslim pupils have been leaving schools with low grades or without any qualification. State schools have even failed to teach Standard English to Muslim pupils. The result is that they could not follow National Curriculum to do better in exams. They have learned English in local accents making them misfit not only for the British society at large but also for the global village, which is use to Standard English.
British education is the home of Institutional Racism where there is no place for a foreign culture and language. The main aim of British schooling is to anglicise children. State schools have been mis-educating and de-educating Muslim pupils making them misfit not only for the Muslim community but also for the British society at large. They do not know where they belong. They suffer from Identity Crises. The recent riots, runaway Muslim girls, unemployment, rise of Muslim youths in custody and drug addiction are the direct result of British schoolings.
In the 60s and 70s, Muslim community especially from the sub-continent was busy in setting up Masajid for congregational prayers as well as for the education of Muslim children, mainly teaching the Holly Quran in Arabic and Urdu language. Most of Islamic literature and poetry is in Urdu; therefore, its teaching is essential to keep in touch with their cultural roots. Evening or weekend teaching in Masajid could not help Muslim children to develop Islamic Identity because they attend state schools with teachers who have no respect for Islamic faith and Muslim community.
In the beginning of 80s, full time Muslim schools started emerging and now there are over 140 schools and six of them have achieved state funding. I set
up the first full time Muslim school in 1981 but unfortunately it was closed down in 1986 due to unavoidable circumstances. Muslim schools follow National Curriculum along with Islamic Studies, Arabic languages for all Muslim pupils and Urdu language for the pupils from the sub-continent. The number of schools is on the increase and naturally more and more Muslim pupils will opt for Muslim schools because the silent majority of Muslim parents would like to send their children to Muslim schools. One can see the lengthy waiting lists of Muslim schools. There are many parents who have sent their children to Pakistan for education and there are others who are reluctant to bring their children, because they fear that their children will be lost in the so-called Western civilization. The young generation born and educated in state schools does not want their children to suffer bullying and racism as they suffered during their schoolings. They are the one who are trying to set up Muslim schools.
Now the Muslim community is very serious in setting up Muslim schools after riots in the Northern cities and attacks of 9/11 and 7/7. At the same time the British government is pressurizing Muslim schools to admit at least 25% of non-Muslims. Majority of Muslim pupils attend state schools because there is a shortage of Muslim schools and majority of Muslim parents are unable to pay fees. Priority should be given to Muslim pupils for admission and there is no place for non-Muslim pupils and teachers in Muslim schools. On top of that Church leaders are urging the government to set up state funded Multi faith schools to undermine Muslim schools and I will call it a conspiracy against Muslim schools.
There was a time when Church schools were reluctant to admit non-Christians but now there is no alternative left for them but to admit Muslim children and in some of their schools, majority of pupils are Muslims. There are hundred of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority and in my opinion all such schools should be designated as Muslim community schools under the control and management of Muslim educational Trusts or Charities. Muslim children need Muslim schools with Muslim teachers for their proper growth and development
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
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