CIES Secretariat Florida International University 312 ZEB Miami, FL 33199
Number
151
Guest Editor: Dr. Robert V. Farrell, Associate Profesor, C&I, FIU
The Madrasa Resource Centers, East Africa
Salima Jaffer
M.Ed. Candidate
Health Professional Education
Comparative, International and Development Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto
salima.jaffer@gmail.com
Twenty five years ago, the first Madrasa Resource Center (MRC) was launched in Mombasa, Kenya. From its birth, the MRC’s mission was to offer quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) to Muslim preschool children in the region using the most advanced pedagogies and a holistic method of teaching. Since then, having reached thousands of young Muslim children, the Madrasa programme has expanded to both Tanzania (1990) and Uganda (1993). As the importance of ECE has come to be recognized in East Africa, more parents are choosing to send their children to preschools despite the lack of government funding for preschools in some East African countries.
At these madrasas, children are exposed to a new style of learning, one which enables them to excel to the top of their primary school classes. The MRCs’ strategies include the management of the schools, the ownership given to the communities to properly educate their own children and the constant and consistent support from the Madrasa Resource Centers. The MRCs are funded variously by the Aga Khan Foundation, UNICEF, USAID and Johnson and Johnson.
"The Madrasa programme includes a number of best practices that have been developed over time."
The Madrasa programme includes a number of best practices that have been developed over time. Community ownership, through the Community Resource Teams (CRTs) and School Management Committees (SMCs), ensure that the schools run well – that they have adequate supplies, the classrooms are suitable to young children and the families pay school fees. Teacher training is provided at the MRC both for new and seasoned teachers. Teachers learn to make their own school supplies with materials available and are able to borrow books from the library at the MRC. Children learn through play, song and dance, as well as the ‘typical’ forms of teaching – reading and writing. Parents, too, are involved. They form part of the CRTs and SMCs and ensure that their children are being fed at school.
Outside components of the Madrasa programme have evolved to include a Health and Nutrition feature. Currently, the MRC in Uganda has started to develop a Health and Nutrition package to be distributed to parents, teachers and students. The package will include information on how to maintain a healthy diet with cheap and readily available East African foods.
The challenges faced by the Madrasa programme are large. The programme has dealt with gender barriers in terms of educating girls and training female teachers. The schools have found ways to tackle issues related to inclusiveness and respect for diversity as the children attending the schools may come not only from Muslim backgrounds but Christian backgrounds as well. Local capacity and leadership in the communities has had to be developed over time as each of the three MRCs (Zanzibar, Mombasa and Kampala) have grown and developed.
The Madrasa programme and its various aspects have created a new generation of bright Muslim and non-Muslim children in East Africa. An innovative programme, it will continue to expand and strive to deliver quality education to preschool children in the region. Not only are children affected, so are teachers, parents and community members. The Madrasa programme will continue to expand to other geographical areas, such as the West Nile Region in Uganda, the North Eastern Province in Kenya and Mtwara and Lindi districts in Tanzania. In all these areas there exists a mixed-religious population with a marginalized Muslim community. Finally, over the next few months, quality documentation and communication materials will be developed to highlight the approaches of and the lessons learned by the Madrasa Programme.
References
Evans, J. and K. Bartlett (2008). The Madrasa Early Childhood Programme: 25 Years of Experience. Belgium: Rosseels Printing Company.
Madrasa Pre-Primary Scheme - Brain-Child of the Aga-Khan (2007). Retrieved on 07/29/09 from
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/madrasa-
pre-primary-scheme-brainchild-of-the-aga-khan/
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