Rilek1Corner

Tag: madrasah

  • Commentary: Government Funded Madrasah possible only if Asatizahs function beyond the Muslim community

    Commentary: Government Funded Madrasah possible only if Asatizahs function beyond the Muslim community

    I am all for the idea that there be a Madrasah that is funded by our government but I think we fall short of one thing. The GOALS and ASPIRATIONS got to change from the ones we have now which is to produce “Khalifah-Fil-Ard”. No commercial value as compared to saying being the True Leader with Dignity, Honor and Respect. Same thing but it holds different bearing when you put it across differently.

    Those missionary schools produce so called “intellectual” individuals who serve the society as lawyers, doctors, engineers, architects, accountants, army generals, pilots, nurses, etc. So until we can market Madrasah graduates to be like that or else once again it has a different bearing in the eyes of the government. To them – You produce Asatizah for your own Muslim needs. So it makes no sense for them to pay for people who only functions for the Muslim community.

    For example, I have heard of Christian Judges in courtrooms who called upon other Christians within the Ministry (building) to gather and they held prayers during lunch.

    So the thing is, religion is for them but the government will want individuals who are by their level of intellect be able to work and do things for the society at large. If Asatizah? Serve the Chinese or Indian or Eurasians community in what way?

    Until the Madrasah is ready to produce such dynamic all-rounder individuals, I don’t see a Government funded Madrasah being a reality. Why? For a start … Can we compromise on the idea that the Institution of Madrasah is there to produce Asatizah as The Next Corp Gen of Khalifahs? We are too static in our thoughts. Madrasah means must be “Pelapis Ulamak”. Let’s just see near us. Even many parents out there still think and perceive the Madrasah path means … Asatizah path only. That’s it. So those who are not into being over religiously inclined will shun away.

    And then let us look at how these “POPULARLY GOOD” schools get parents involvement by volunteering before enrolment dates. That alone will set the tongue wagging and spread words on how Madrasah had evolved. Do we have that incorporated now? Still with the “ENTRANCE TESTS” which is good but not good enough marketing strategy.

    That branding really got to change. But before a change can be proposed, I want to take a step back and look at what happened to 2015 P6 batches Ustaz … The newspaper article appeared about some students switching to National Schools and we have criticism flying everywhere …. “If the best students are away elsewhere then who is best enough to lead?” Hahahaha.

    All those mindsets got to go and got to change. Really a tall order and a long wayyyyyyyy to go. But do count me in on this mission. I will volunteer in any capacity I can to make this dream a reality. But I mulut laser Ustaz … I will say what needs to be said because I believe to change is not easy and not for the weaklings.

    So with that … May Allah SWT grant Singaporean Muslims the strength to change this in the future. Insha Allah. Ameen.

     

    Credit: Mohammed Nafis

  • Muslim Mother: This Is Why A Madrasah Education Is As Good As Any Schools In Singapore

    Muslim Mother: This Is Why A Madrasah Education Is As Good As Any Schools In Singapore

    Whenever I tell my non-Malay/Muslim friends (or even some Muslim friends) where my children are schooling, a common reaction would be, “Do they cover the same syllabus?” “Are they on par with the national schools?” My answer would always be a resounding “Yes!” and then I’ll proceed to share a bit more about their school.

    But when I read a comment by some guy online about how Madrasah students only learn Arabic and English (not even Malay??) as if they are undergoing some kind of ‘Arab colonisation’, I felt the need to share more about what at least one of our local full time Madrasahs – Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri – is like.

    📙Admission 📁
    When the kids are in K2 (or at 6yo that year) in April, they will have to sit for an entrance test which comprise of written and oral papers for English, Maths, Malay and Arabic. Applications tend to exceed the number of vacancies available by more than 100%, so it is a very stressful test for parents actually! That half or less than half that got in really did by the Grace of God.

    📕 Curriculum 🗂
    At primary school, these are their subjects:
    ✏️English language (based on latest MOE syllabus, STELLAR and all)
    ✏️Mathematics (based on latest MOE syllabus)
    ✏️Science (based on latest MOE syllabus)
    ✏️Malay language (based on latest MOE syllabus)
    ✏️Arabic language
    ✏️Al Qur’an
    ✏️Tarbiyyah (Islamic knowledge, consisting of Islamic history, theology, jurisprudence and Islamic social studies – one per term)

    As for the first four subjects, MOE-approved textbooks and workbooks are used. The books for the Islamic subjects are locally published in consultation with and under the supervision of the Madrasah Education branch in MUIS.

    📗 Enrichment and CCA 🤗

    1. They have what they call ‘whitespace’ (2 periods) weekly, where they get to experience different activities (one per term, different progs for different levels) not limited to:
    📎 Art programmes
    📎 ICT lessons
    📎 Aikido
    📎 Gymnastics
    📎 Leadership programmes
    📎 Robotics
    📎 Sports and games
    and the list goes on

    2. After-school enrichment classes may include mathematical problem solving classes and English/Malay writing workshops, among others. There is also the Tahfiz (Quran memorisation) class that students can enrol in.

    3. A plethora of interesting CCAs are highly sought after and students even had to ballot to get a place in CCAs such as:
    👍 Archery
    👍 Junior Masterchef
    👍 Taekwando
    👍 A variety of sports – soccer, badminton, swimming, netball
    👍 Robotics
    👍 Khat (Arabic calligraphy)
    and a few others

    4. They are not left out in international/national competitions such as ICAS, Maths Olympiads, robotics competitions, Babble and Speak, etc.

    5. The P5 camps are usually in training centres/campsites in Malaysia for a more rigorous/interesting outdoor experience. I heard there’s also overseas CIP in the pipeline for them.

    6. Once or twice a year, the p3-6 students will have a 2D1N Mukhayyam, a spiritual retreat filled with motivational talks, reminders and night prayers (Tahajjud).

    📘Teachers 👩🏻‍🏫
    Teachers for the four PSLE subjects comprise of both NIE-trained teachers (ex teachers in MOE schools) and teachers trained in education from local and overseas universities/institutions. They also attend short courses/teacher conferences organised by NIE as well as publishers here. Teachers for the Islamic subjects are qualified ustazs and ustazahs who graduated from Islamic institutions/universities locally and abroad too.

    At this point, I must say I have much respect for all the teachers in the Madrasahs, for their sincere dedication and love for the students. If you already feel that the students are going through a lot, imagine the teachers! May Allah reward all the teachers with the best of rewards!

    📙 Assessments 📋
    The P1s and P2s have bite-sized assessments for English and Maths but CA1, SA1, CA2 and SA2 for all other subjects. Other levels have all four main assessments for all subjects. Yes, it is stressful for both kids and parents! 😅 But we survived, and will continue to survive these ‘tests’ on our mental and spiritual strength!

    📕 PSLE 📝
    The P6s will take the same PSLE papers for the four main subjects on the same dates and times as the other P6 students in Singapore. What I always admired is their love and care for the P6 students in terms of their spiritual, mental and physical preparation for the exams. Will share more when the time comes.

    PSLE results? 100% passes for a few years running and mean score has always been above national average, Alhamdulillah. May it continue that way, Aameen!

    📗School hours 🕢
    Assembly begins at 7.30 am but classes start at around 7.55 am. Lessons continue till 2.25 pm with 1 recess break (@ canteen) and 2 snack times (in class). At 2.25 pm, they proceed to the adjacent mosque for Zuhr prayers till about 3pm (on Fridays they join the mosque jamaah for Friday prayers and end the day after that). Yes, the kids are very tired (and hungry) at the end of the day, but as many Madrasah grads would say, these are the things (on top of the many subjects and assessments, and climbing of stairs) that mould them into stronger individuals. I pray the same for my children!

    Of course, the day does not end there when they have after-school activities/enrichment/CCA/remedial.

    They enjoy the same gazetted school and public holidays in Singapore.

    📘National Education 🇸🇬
    Here, students also learn to love their country. One of the chapters in their Arabic textbooks is about the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, narrating his achievements in bringing up Singapore. In their annual Social Studies project, there was a year where the P2s did a scrap book on the different kinds of food unique to the different ethnic groups in Singapore. The P3s did on important landmarks/symbols of Singapore and the P4s did on past leaders of Singapore, with the aim of instilling love for the country. During the recently celebrated Racial Harmony Day, there was an inter-class competition which requires each level to decorate the classes according to a certain ethnic group in Singapore. These projects and programmes certainly raised their awareness about the different cultures and races in Singapore.

    📚📚📚🖇🖇🖇📚📚📚📐📐📐📚📚📚
    I hope this sharing creates more awareness on the kind of education our local full-time madrasah students are getting. There are different reasons why Muslim parents may decide to enrol their children in one – mine is a mixture of them all:
    📚To provide them with a holistic education which encompasses Islamic education as well – either to groom them into religious leaders with great foundation in academic knowledge, or into Muslim professionals grounded by their Islamic knowledge.
    📚To allow them to study in an Islamic environment.
    📚To allow them to wear uniform that properly covers what they need to cover once they reach puberty (we prefer to start young though).
    📚To provide them with more options/pathways in education in the future – be it the academic or religious pathway.

    What is clear is that, we have no intention of grooming them into narrow-minded, exclusive citizens or worse, into radicalised Muslims for whatever purpose. With the kind of education they are getting, I am more than confident that they can integrate well with the society and will be important assets to the nation too!

    The above is based on my knowledge of the system as a parent (please do NOT treat this as official info on the Madrasah!) If you are a staff from the Madrasah, pls feel free to comment on any inaccurate information and I’ll gladly edit it. (My apologies for sharing all these without consulting any of you!) While this information may not be representative of the other full time Madrasahs in Singapore, I believe that they largely operate in the same way. At least where the academic subjects are concerned 🙂.

    There are of course many other things about the Madrasah that I may not have shared here, but these are the basic info. May the Almighty continue to bless all Madrasahs with prosperity and progress!

     

    Source: Sri Aisyah

  • Commentray: Help Madrasah Al Arabiah, Lease The Premise Of The Abandoned JCs

    Commentray: Help Madrasah Al Arabiah, Lease The Premise Of The Abandoned JCs

    In that case, i would like to suggest that MUIS and Madrasah Al Arabiah request that they be allowed to lease the premise of one of these abandoned JCs instead of wasting public money to build a new building for Madrasah Al Arabiah on a limited leasehold arrangement. For all the monies that the Government have spent on SAP schools, this should be a reasonable request to make on behalf of the Malay community. At last a Madrasah can have a full facility educational building which for many years the students of Madrasah could not enjoy. Thank you in advance. – from a concerned parent of Madrasah Al-Arabiah.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Credit: Damanhuri Bin Abas

  • Retired Parking Attendant Becomes A Graduate At The Age Of 67

    Retired Parking Attendant Becomes A Graduate At The Age Of 67

    Fond of reading, retired parking attendant Rokiah Omar always wished she had attended a madrasah – an Islamic religious school – when she was a child.

    Yesterday, the 67-year-old fulfilled her childhood dream by graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic studies. She was the oldest among the Jamiyah Education Centre’s (JEC) 33 graduands.

    “I didn’t want age to be an obstacle to my learning,” said Madam Rokiah, who did not graduate with O levels, and got her first diploma in the Arabic language only in her 40s.

    With the support of her husband, three daughters, and two grandchildren, she obtained her degree after 11/2 years of part-time study.

    Her thesis examined the role of Muslim women in Singapore, and she looked to Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob and family physician Elly Sabrina as examples.

    “I hope to be a role model for others my age, to not give up and to pursue lifelong learning,” she said.

    For Madam Rokiah, the learning continues – she is currently pursuing a certificate in Islamic psychology, which she believes will help her understand her religious texts better. Next year, she will embark on a master’s in Islamic studies.

    At the ceremony yesterday, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman said lifelong learning is one of the tenets of Islam, as there are many things that are constantly changing and which require new ways of thinking.

    He encouraged the graduates to take advantage of their SkillsFuture credit to improve their skills and “guarantee a brighter future”.

    He also urged them to make use of their knowledge to help others understand Islam better, whether in Singapore or abroad.

    “Give guidance to members of the public, especially those who are on the Internet with information that is less accurate, but can become viral quickly,” he said.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com

  • Faris Abdat: PAP Politicising Hijab Issue

    Faris Abdat: PAP Politicising Hijab Issue

    It is the PAP which keeps politicizing the hijab issue and making it sensitive to talk about by misrepresenting the issue as an attempt by Malay-Muslims to be different and to be treated extra special.

    The PAP treats every issue concerning rights of the Malay-Muslim community in this way.

    Whether it is the issue of madrasah, whether it is tudung issue in government schools, whether it is the aurat issue for Muslim women in certain professions.

    Masagos Zulkifli has employed the use of highly emotive language – ” sowing discord and divisiveness ” – and this is the type of language which is actually sowing discord and divisiveness.

    The PAP has done this before – using highly emotive language – to shut down the Malay-Muslim community’s efforts to protect, preserve and regain its constitutionally guaranteed rights.

    By doing so – by portraying the Malay-Muslim community as always being problematic – the PAP is actually endangering our racial and religious harmony

    Allowing Muslim women in certain professions to cover their aurat is a non-issue. Really.

    So the question is why is the PAP adamant in not allowing it ? And an even bigger question is why the PAP would attempt to justify an unfair policy at the expense of our national cohesion.

    Bravo MP Faisal Manap for doing what the PAP Muslim MPs dare not, care not or cannot do. He is simply doing his job.

    Shame on Masagos Zulkifli for attempting to silent MP Faisal Manap.

    By doing so, Masagos Zulkifli is beng an enabler to the PAP’s unfair policy in this matter. It is this behaviour which is sowing real discord and divisiveness. Masagos Zulkifli – Stop politicizing this issue please.

     

    Source: Faris Abdat