An Open Letter to the New Secretary of State for Education
Education may well be a critical tool of socialisation; But it's only a tool.. that's why it's debatable whether education does, should, or can imbue us as citizens with a sense of our national identity and priorities. It all depends on how education gets used, and by whom. So from my own critical perspective I certainly don't think education does or should act like a gang of construction workers, cementing a shared but distinctly concrete narrative of common purpose. Rather I suppose education should kindly facilitate whatever individuals want to learn, whenever or wherever we want to learn it.. but maybe this might seem too radical.. If you had a non-Muslim school that encouraged teenage girls to dress modestly, successfully persuaded pupils not to drink alcohol, railed against gambling, engaged in lengthy study of ancient scriptures and languages and achieved good exam results, the Conservatives would be lining up to lavish it with praise. More so if it were Christian. Michael Gove's disastrous tenure as Secretary of State for Education has united the vast majority of Academics, Educationalists, Head Teachers and Teachers against hi...m like never before in the UK. 'At its May 2013 conference, Gove was criticised by the National Association of Head Teachers, whose members condemned the climate of bullying, fear and intimidation they claimed he had created during his time as Education Secretary. The conference passed a vote of no confidence in his policies. Votes of no confidence were also passed by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers at conference in March 2013, the National Union of Teachers at its conference in April 2013 (unanimously), and the NASUWT.' I hope the new secretary of state for education will do something positive to improve the educational standard of the Muslim children. Muslim children not only need halal meat or Eid Holidays but they need state funded Muslim schools with Muslim teachers as role models during their development period also. There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This means the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islamic teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim schools should be inspected by Muslim members of the Ofsted. They understand the needs and demands of the Muslim children as well as their parents. Twenty leading educationalists and Muslim leaders have questioned Ofsted's impartiality in the Birmingham 'Trojan Horse' affair, education consultant Robin Richardson reflects on the factors behind its controversial recent inspections. What gives OFSTED the right, or indeed any Brits, to preach to minority groups about how they should live their lives. This is a cosmopolitan country, the Muslim community have the right to educate their children how they choose. What has being British got to do with your religious belief? In Britain there are Hindus Sikhs pagans Jewish Buddhists atheist Zoroastrians Rasta's and many more should they all change there religious beliefs because they are British? Studying the Qur'an will certainly help towards these children becoming fully integrated citizens of the UK. Like many Ofsted stories this is no news. There are lots of schools up and down the land without male teachers. Teaching is so female dominated you wonder why pupils are so poorly behaved. After all feminism blames men for everything and here are the results of female dominance...IALondon School of Islamics Trusthttp://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Iftikhar Ahmad ● 3572d1 Comments