Reforming the madrasa curriculum

Economists squabble and rightly so, that madrasas have negligible contribution in developing skilled human capital in the country while squandering nearly 11.5 percent of the total education budget in the last few years. Knowing this fact, the government still allowed a 22.22 percent growth of madrasas against only 9.74 percent in general educational institutions over the period 2001 to 2005. This leads to a 10.12 percent increase in enrolment of madrasa students against only 8.64 percent in general group (related articles, "The political economy of fundamentalism I and II", DS, August 29, 30).

Ever since its establishment by the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 AD, reforms in madrasa educational curriculum (MEC) has seen recurrent setbacks due to over emphasis on Arabic literature, Islamic history and obsession with Urdu language. The eminent Muslim scholar Fazlur Rahman commented: "By organically relating all forms of knowledge and gearing these to dogmatic theology the very sources of intellectual fecundity were blighted and possibility of original thinking stifled." Sir Sayed Ahmad, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, argued that madrasa curriculum, which encourages memorising rather than real understanding, are outdated and inappropriate to the needs of the time.

On March 13, 2005, Education Minister Dr. Osman Farruk observed, "Islamic scholars believe that any change in madrasa education to modernise would only affect the spirit of Islam, but they should change their attitude."

The madrasa educators must face the realities that:

·Religious education without vocational curriculum would make its graduates dependent on society's charities having job opportunities restricted to mosques and madrasas.

• Only Islam-centric education (memorisation of Islamic scriptures) will blind them from all other knowledge of appreciating the real world.
• Modernising MEC will transform the mindset of the students and help them lead their lives in a dignified manner and enable to provide leadership to their community to meet the challenges demanded by the contemporary global environment.
• If a country squanders its resources to support a large group of its citizens who consumes much more of its GDP than produces (whoever they are), the country will have less and less to invest for future economic growth.
• The country cannot afford to support only religious education to such a large group of people (nearly 4 million and growing) to engage only in religious services for their eternal life while ridding free of other hard works.

We need nurses to comfort the sick, doctors to treat the dying, engineers to build roads and houses, veterinarians for dairy and beef cattle, scientists to discover new methods and techniques, economists to formulate economic policies and imams to lead us to prayers. We do not need zealots and religio-political fundamentalists and extremists to guide us to the path of deity or to the road of destitution.

Over the years MEC has undergone reforms under the Madrasa Education Board (MEB) but not significantly enough to meet the challenges of our country's needs. Equivalence (in years but not subjects) between Islamic and general education curriculum (GEC) are as follows: Dakhil (SSC), Alim (HSC), Fazil (BA), Kamil (MA). All these examinations are conducted by the MEB. Dakhil curriculum consists of four groups: General, Science, Muhadeth and Hifzul Koran as shown in the Table.

The four track curriculum assigns 700 marks for required subjects in each of the four groups, three hundred for compulsory subjects and one hundred for a choice of one optional subject. A cursory look at the Table shows that general group lacks generality and science group lacks appropriate emphasis on science subjects. How can one study science and mathematics these days without some introductory knowledge in computer skills when the rest of the world teaches basic computer skills at the primary level of learning? One obvious problem is that all four tracks are loaded with overlapping religious subjects which can easily be condensed to accommodate more science and general knowledge related subjects

Following the recent thoughtful reform of multi-track SSC curriculum into one single integrated track, we believe madrasa curriculum should be trimmed from its current four track approach to three track curriculum -- the third track being Muhadeth and Hifzul Qur'an combined as one group. This third track should be set as a threshold for higher level religious education at the Alim level and beyond. However, having the same seven papers (700 marks) at the Dakhil level like those of General and Science groups will keep their options open to future choices. A paper on computer science must be introduced as compulsory subject in all proposed three track curriculum.

We recommend combining Hadith, Fika and Shurah as one paper and assigning a total of 100 points. Hadith is Prophet Mohammad's (pbuh) sayings on records, Shurah is about public's interpretations (perceptions) of social and religious traditions and issues not previously addressed or recorded, and Fika deals with how religious rituals are performed. Arabic literature should be assigned 100 points instead of 200 points. These recommendations allow two papers in Bengali and English instead of current one paper each. By looking at the curriculum a Saudi Arabian friend commented, "Curriculum developers must be out of their mind to emphasise Arabic literature more than national language and English, when Arabic language has little or no relevance in the modern day context".

If the idea of having students in general group is to produce future students who may pursue a career in social sciences, then it is important to combine general history in which Islamic history would be a subset. Besides, Islamic history should be taught in the modern day context, not in the perspectives of fratricidal war, infighting, conspiracies, and assassinations which Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) had to confront while preaching Islam among the Bedouins and nomads. Social science must have a combination of economics, and civics. It is critical that madrasa leaders reach a pragmatic consensus to develop curriculum to produce religious scholars not zealots and intolerant fundamentalists.

In the higher secondary levels (Alim and HSC) both the MEC and GEC must have multi-track choices. After examining the Alim (HSC equivalent) curriculum we found that in the General group Arabic literature is assigned 200 as in Dakhil. In the Science group physics and chemistry each is assigned 200 marks whereas Bengali, English, and Arabic each worth 100. Higher mathematics and biology are left as optional subjects each worth 100. Here again we recommend elimination of Arabic literature from both the general and science groups; also make some room for higher mathematics and biology as two separate compulsory papers by consolidating religious papers.

This modified curriculum will facilitate Madrasa students to vie for admission in medicine, engineering, MBA or whatever the students' aptitude and interest lead them to. One imperative requirement is that all science and general subjects which are common to both Alim and HSC level must have common syllabus and one standard examination for each subject nationwide.

Once these reforms are infused we believe MEC and the GEC can progressively be integrated into Secondary (SSC/Dakhil) and Higher Secondary (HSC/Alim) level under one Education Board. Madrasas offering Fazil and Kamil should be brought under the National University. The idea is that once similar academic curriculum is imbued in both the MEC and the GEC any perceived discriminatory biases against graduates coming out of the MEC will fade away.

This write up emphasises opportunities and choices for Madrasa students. Here is an example of a real life story of choices and opportunities. Two students both got admitted into B.Sc. (Hons.) in physics after receiving their HSC. After one month into the programme, one switched to economics to pursue M.A. degree in economics and later on pursued a career in civil service. The other student, after completion of his masters in physics, came to USA, received M.S. in nuclear engineering, and then studied economics and became an economics professor. Should we not open up similar opportunities for all knowledge seekers as those two students in our example?

The authors are, respectively, Professor of Economics, Eastern Michigan University and former Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh