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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Between Islamic and Western Secular Education in Ghana: A Progressive Integration Approach
Author:Iddrisu, AbdulaiISNI
Year:2002
Periodical:Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs
Volume:22
Issue:2
Period:October
Pages:335-350
Language:English
Geographic term:Ghana
Subjects:Islamic education
Education and Oral Traditions
Religion and Witchcraft
education
External link:https://doi.org/10.1080/1360200022000027302
Abstract:After Ghana's independence and the rising demand for a skilled workforce, there emerged a greater need for change in the focus of Islamic education. This paper dwells on the 'conservative' and 'modernizing' approaches towards forging a meaningful interaction between Islamic and Western secular education in the northern region of Ghana. The first, 'conservative', attempt at forging this interaction began with an Ahmadiyya missionary initiative in 1928. The second application of the conservative approach was initiated in the 1960s: Muslim children in secular schools were provided with some elementary Islamic education. The modern approach, which started in the early 1970s, was the attempt to introduce secular subjects and secular teachers into the already existing 'makaranta' (religious school) in the northern region. The 'makaranta' schools, however, had inherent weaknesses that made it impossible for them to withstand the challenges of social change that the greater presence of secular schools had occasioned in the region. What has actually occurred is the adoption of a Western model where the traditional Islamic subjects are effectively relegated to a less prominent place. A better alternative would be the progressive integration approach, whereby the Islamic school curriculum could be redefined to determine the teachable subjects. Notes, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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