IHYA - Islamic Teacher Education Programme
Programme Context Even though internationally the madrasa is a declining institutional model it has nevertheless grown substantially in South Africa during the past three decades. In most if not all of these institutions of Islamic learning, ”the method of instruction is centred on teaching rather than learning—a subtle but important distinction. Furthermore, it does not prepare students with the real-life skills needed to function successfully in today's society.” (DT, 2007, p10). Islamic education institutions do sometimes focus on the area of curriculum in relation to content and resources but rarely do teachers speak about the areas of integrating learning outcomes, instructional methods, assessment tools, or educational foundation in terms of educational values which includes considerations around classroom environment and the informal curriculum. The cultural divide between university-educated and madrasah-trained graduates persists, although the dialogue between the two has increased. Scholars whose religious training is largely independent of the two systems have also come to exert influence. Some Muslims will insist the answer is simply in going back to the past; others will urge us to plunge headlong into the future. But people in fact need both roots and branches together in order to survive and flourish. (Dawud Tauhidi, 2007, p5)
FITRAH - Each child is endowed with a God-given nature, known as the fitrah. Like the seed of a tree, it contains the essential programming needed to grow. In the right soil or environment, it will naturally unfold and develop.
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