Quranic Schools

This paper attempts to answer the question: what accounts for the persistence of Koranic schools as separate schools operating at cross-purposes with the Nigerian state in the provision of education to millions of Muslim children officially reported ‘out of school’? To answer this question, the paper traces the long years of mutual isolation between the state and Islamic institutions, particularly in northern Nigeria, that was at first a product of colonisation, but subsequently a reflection of state failure to meet its obligations towards a people struggling to come to terms with the loss of their cultural/religious values as western influences became pervasive. The paper submits that by remaining faithful to those values, ideas and practices that hold together the cultural/religious essence of life, Koranic schools and their owners fill a void neither the new religious elite nor the post-colonial Nigerian state has been able to recognise. The paper however worries that although culturally-relevant, this bond between Koranic schools and their communities further isolates young generations of Nigerian Muslims from constructively engaging with state. An inclusive state policy on education based on constructive engagements with the hidden clients of Nigeria’s submerged Koranic schools is what the country needs if these schools are to play any future positive role in education.

This paper presents the results of a preliminary study on the experience of proprietors/teachers of Quranic schools in three states in North West, Nigeria with attempts at non-formal integration of contents and processes of public education into their 'minimalist' curriculum focused on Quranic recitation and memorisation. The preliminary stage addressed two research objectives. The first was to lay out the policy, administrative, and curriculum framework that foreground the implementation of integrated education for Quranic schools. The second objective was to survey the range of actors involved in the provision of Islamic education outside of the state bureaucracy and their demographic and ideological profiles. Both objectives were achieved mainly through content analysis of policy documents, a desk review of literature, and interviews & validation meetings with the field staff and officials of key government agencies implementing Integrated Quranic Education (IQE) in Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. Findings suggest a crowded policy and administrative framework at the federal and state levels that lack clarity for the roles of the participating state and non-state entities. This has resulted in the existence of multiple curriculum materials that are dormant and unimplemented. But this implementation gap is being filled by international development partners who are the most active participants in the IQE sub-sector.

The present paper attempts to answer the question: what accounts for the persistence of Qur'anic schools as separate schools operating at cross-purposes with the Nigerian state in the provision of education to millions of Muslim children officially reported to be “out of school?“ To answer this question, the paper traces the long years of mutual isolation between the state and Islamic institutions, particularly in northern Nigeria, that was at first a product of colonisation, but subsequently a reflection of state failure to meet its obligations toward a people struggling to come to terms with the loss of their cultural and religious values as western influences became pervasive. The paper suggests that by remaining faithful to those values, ideas, and practices that hold together the cultural-religious essence of life, Qur'anic schools and their owners fill a void that neither the new religious elite nor the post-colonial Nigerian state has been able to recognize. The paper expresses concern, however, that although culturally-relevant, the bond between Qur'anic schools and their communities further isolates young generations of Nigerian Muslims from constructively engaging with the state. An inclusive state policy on education based on constructive engagement with the hidden clients of Nigeria's submerged Qur'anic schools is what the country needs if these schools are to play any future positive role in education.

The Almajirai are pupils enrolled in traditional Quranic schools that are prevalent in many parts of northern Nigeria. Although Quranic schools are highly revered religious institutions that have played vital roles in muslim societies in pre-colonial northern Nigeria, the challenging demands of modernity tend to put the future of these schools at risk. Pupils enrolled are consequently denied effective participation in formal basic education, and are not adequately catered for by either the state or their communities. Concern over the future of millions of children enrolled in Quranic schools has led to the official adoption of integration policy by the Federal Government intended to position them within the framework of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme for the purpose of attainig Education for All (EFA) and Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). This paper contends that although the integration policy is widely accepted by stakeholders of the Quranic schools, there are number of contentious issues which devolve on the implementation of this policy vis-a-vis the peculiarities of these schools, their pupils, and the socio-economic rhythms of their local communities which have the tendency to exclude rather than integrate them into the regular schools. Consequently, the paper explores Open Distance Learning (ODL) as an alternative platform that has the potentials of delivering the promises and gains of the UBE to the Qur'anic school pupils in ways that are responsive to their peculiarities. The paper recommends, among other things, the adoption of a Dual mode of ODL system in which traditional classroom method is complemented by radio broadcasts in specially designed packages tailored to the needs of Qur'anic school pupils and thier teachers. This the paper believes will provide for flexiblity in the organisation of instruction, and respond to scarcity of personnel and resources in these schools.

Over the past few decades, private Malian religious schools, called medersas (singular medersa) have been founded or have grown out of existing Qur’anic schools with the mission of offering Malian children instruction both in religious studies and in subjects such as French, math, science, and social studies.  In 2009, the Ministry of Education and National Languages (MEALN) documented almost a quarter of a million medersa students at the primary level.  This article presents an overview of the evolution and development of medersas in Mali and a description and discussion of Malian madrasas in light of contemporary conceptions of educational quality.

This paper attempts to answer the question: what accounts for the persistence of Koranic schools as separate schools operating at cross-purposes with the Nigerian state in the provision of education to millions of Muslim children officially reported ‘out of school’? To answer this question, the paper traces the long years of mutual isolation between the state and Islamic institutions, particularly in northern Nigeria, that was at first a product of colonisation, but subsequently a reflection of state failure to meet its obligations towards a people struggling to come to terms with the loss of their cultural/religious values as western influences became pervasive. The paper submits that by remaining faithful to those values, ideas and practices that hold together the cultural/religious essence of life, Koranic schools and their owners fill a void neither the new religious elite nor the post-colonial Nigerian state has been able to recognise. The paper however worries that although cu...