Education of Muslim Children – Challenges and Opportunities

Ponn Sabra | April 20, 2008 | Comments (0)

A must-read article:

Education of Muslim Children – Challenges and Opportunities Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph.D

Think your children are immune to the problems of public school by sending them to an Islamic school in America!?

Think again! Look at what Dr. Syed’s research compiled:

Problems in Islamic Schools

No Adaab or Islamic etiquette or behavior

Parents want teachers to be lenient
Some girls and boys meet secretly in the basement.
They have girl-friends and boy-friends
They do smoke
Profanity is written on the walls, desks, blackboards, etc.
Behave roughly: laughing, talking, screaming, rip off their Hijab on the buses.
Discipline: Behavior is no different from the Public Schools.
Teachers are not fair. Spoiled kids as their parents are rich or important
Less school activities for girls. Little opportunity to interact with other students.
Islamic schools are running without an Islamic curriculum, often without a syllabus
No textbooks.
No qualified and trained teachers or certified teachers. (Quality in education is not possible without good teachers.)
Those who attend Muslim high schools do not fare better in college.
Non-Muslim teachers who are qualified and certified. (Live-in boyfriend, rejects institution of marriage. Wear tight and revealing outfit. Promote gay agenda,anti-religion agenda, or insensitive to Islamic values and events)
Qualified and certified Muslim teachers work in Public schools. As Islamic schools do not offer viable salaries, benefits (pension health benefits, etc.)
When they leave Islamic schools and graduate from colleges, some of them, they do marry non-Muslims as the Muslim community and their parents have exerted zero influence on them.
Chronic shortage of space, science labs, auditoriums, gyms, playgrounds, libraries, bathrooms.
High turnover rate (30 to 40 percent annually) of teachers.
Parents’ fear Islamic schools trade off academics for Islamic environment.
Organization, planning and discipline -suffer most in Islamic schools.
Governance is the big reason why most Islamic schools suffer
Do not develop an autonomous and unique decision-making (governance) structure
School Boards require training in how to run a school
School Boards rarely include women
Parents do not play a part in Governance structure
No qualified administrators
Some parents worry Islamic schools offer an inferior quality of education.
Children are not prepared to face competitiveness and the challenges of the modern world.
Seriously lacking in Muslim literature and culture.
For many Muslim families, Islamic schools are not affordable.
In sparse Muslim population areas, Islamic schools are not financially viable.
Very few trained Muslim teachers in special education or none

The MAJORITY of all these problems can be solved by 1 if 2-things:
** Hiring certified teachers & having a business-charter-school-like Administrative team running the school OR Homeschooling & not sending them to an Islamic school in the first place.

So, yes…I can hear the debate now…I don’t have the patience to homeschool, or I don’t know how, etc.

Then, IF you must send your children to Islamic schools, Pay for higher tuition!
Demand certified teachers because you’re investing in their education…not demanding less because you can’t afford it.

Participate Heavily in the PTO/PTAs, don’t be a complainer.

Be a Solver & Solution-maker!

Show your children you’re putting their education first by Leading.

Be an example so pride and honor is instilled in them at a young age, that they will WANT to succeed in their education…not because good-grades get a smile on Your face…but, because the sence of accomplishment puts of smile on Theirs!

Have a hit a chord that’ll start making you comment and debate with me now?

Insha’Allah khir….only because I believe in our children! They deserve SO much, and America has SO many opportunities, freedoms, and WHY waste it because of our ignorance as parents?

Do NOT accept anything less than the best for our children…but, You need to invest your time, energy, efforts and Money in them too!

To give you an idea How expensive a good education is: average parochial and Islamic school tuition is $3300/child.

Yet, here in CT; charter schools will get getting $11K/child…and for one
charter school who just broke even, averaged $26K/child with certified teachers
and experienced administrative staff, full core and extracurricular activities
and so much more.

Our private independent elementary K-8 schools average tuition is
$17k/child and there are additional fees + huge endowments supporting the
schools.

Still think $3K/child is too expensive…actually you selling your children SHORT big-time! No wonder they can’t afford certified teacher or qualified administrative staff, huh?

But, here’s an amazing point…I can say we do Not spend $3K/child homeschooling…(well, maybe when we add overseas travel)…yet hubby and I are definitely exposing them to the best-of-private school opportunities NOT isolating nor assimilating our children from our American culture.

As mothers, our children have rights over us, such as food, clothing & education. To think school starts and ends the minute they go into a “school building” is simply an excuse NOT to do our jobs as mothers, especially here in America we Must participate heavily to be involved in our children’s lives and have an active role in assuring their healthy growth and development…leave it to our teachers both at public and private schools and you’ve lost your children completely!

Insha’Allah, I’ll share the difference between Schooling and Education next…and our goal should be to give our children an Education…NOT to send them to school.