Muslims Now Want Madrasa Added to School Syllabus

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Ramadhan Rajab

2 June 2011

MADRSAA education should be recognised as part of early education development, the Muslim community has said. In a memorandum to the taskforce reviewing the education system, the Muslim Education Council, Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims among other Muslim organisations said the current education system had erected obstacles to hamper Muslims from accessing it. “There are fundamental hurdles, that has made education access by Muslims very difficult and this is why we prepared these memorandum to incorporated in yet to be revised system. To make it equitably accessible at quality standards to all Kenyans as enshrined in the new constitution,” Munawar Khan the CEO Muslim Education Council said.

In their proposal they said religious learning is was being made compulsory compelling Muslim students to learn other religions. “Always acute shortage of Islamic religious education teachers is used as a pretext to force students to opt for other religious subjects other than their own, this is a breach to their constitutional right. To sort out this the subjects should be be made optional,” the Memo said in part.

The organisations called on government to recognize as part of early childhood education. They argued that apart from just instilling Islamic doctrines to Muslim children it played a key in molding morals and inculcating social values. “Madarassa and Duqsi form part of the alternative educations and should be recognized,” the submission said.

The proposal called on an education policy that assures the Muslims students in schools to conduct their religious obligations as well on their dress code.

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