Media’s Role Education and Religion
Madrassas have long been the core of traditional Islamic studies and the guardians of the convention in South Asian Islam. Today, in Pakistan, the Madrassas represent the inheritance of the magnificent resurrection of Islamic religious education (Das et al, 2006). Traditionally Madrassas have played historically significant role by preserving and protecting the traditional Islamic teachings. In Pakistan, Madrassas have been deep rooted into the history of the country; and the historical root illustrates the Islamic identity with respect of the country’s struggle towards the creation of a separate state. (Riaz, 2008) Madrassas, in the Islamic history, had an imaginatively impressive role to inspire the community and to manipulate them; such as retaining of Muslim political power in sub-continent Asia during the period of struggle for freedom by modernizing the concept of Madrassas. As a result of the historical contribution of Madrassas in the awakening of the consciousness of Islamic solidarity and the Islamic way of life among the Muslims of South Asia, Madrassas are still an important part of education system (Kadi& Billeh, 2007). Order dissertaiton writing service.
However, high growth rate and low income rate has also played a vital role in the decision of promoting Madrassas education system in Pakistan (Das et al, 2006). The statistical data revealed the estimated population of Pakistan was over 170 million in 2010 and the population growth rate stands at 1.6% (Andrabi, 2005). Such growth rate with poor economical growth worsens the situation for those who cannot send their children to private or expensive schools. Madrassas, on the other hand, offer a free education, with free room and board to their students, and are more appealing to insolvent and poor families and individuals (Riaz, 2008). Hire best essay writing help.
Contextualizing Education in Pakistan
The term Madrassas is broadly used to refer Islamic religious seminaries, which are originally meant to educate and train young persons, who are interested to have religious education as a profession. In general, individual educated fromMadrassaswork as clerics in mosques and as members of the Islamic charitable institutions (Ahmed, 2003). However, there are limited career opportunities to the students of the Madrassas in Pakistan, only those who are enthusiastic to become religious clerics joined them. In Pakistan, the number of Madrassas was very small until 1977. In 1950, there were 244 Madrassas but after 1960 this number raised up to about 500 and about 700 in the early 1970s (Andrabi, 2005). In the military regime of the late Gen. Zia-ul-Haq (1977-1988) a mushrooming growth of the Madrassas was observed (Pakistan perspectives, 2000). An article published in the New York Times in 1997, a lengthy description about Pakistan's education system. The article addressed the issues regarding the educations system structure in Pakistan. Article reported that government schools are failing in Pakistan on the other hand Madrassas are increasing with double speed. It further reported that poorest children in Pakistan prefer to go to Madrassas which provides little of productive education. According to the report Madrassas are keen to make the students memorizing the Quran and producing a large pool of Young minds that are considerate to militancy. Report illustrates that 1.3 percent of all children in Pakistan attend Madrassas; 65 per cent attend public school and 34 per cent attend private schools. The socioeconomic student profile of both Madrassas and private school is similar, on the other hand, Madrassas have more student who are rich than public schools. Private schools outperform the government schools and unbelievably, this higher quality is at lower cost. Private schools in Pakistan charge a monthly fee of more than a single day's wage of a worker. Moreover, it costs lesser than half as much to educate a child in a public school as it does in a private school. Get assignment writing service from experts.
According to Des et al (2006), in Pakistan, most of the Madrassas have no formal admission procedures, and academic schedules are more often flexible. However, some major Madrassas have institutionalized their admission, grading, and promotion procedures and have established some degree of inflexibility in their academic schedules. In terms of levels of education at the Madrassas in Pakistan there are different categories such as: ibtedai (elementary), only to teach the Quran and memorization and teaching of Quran; vustani (middle level), to teach selected books from Dars-i-Nizami; and (3) fauquani (higher level), to teach the entire Dars-i-Nizami. Some Madrassas provide the students post-graduate courses of study in tafsir, hadith, or fiqh after their graduation (Das et al, 2006). For assistance buy thesis online.
Studies have suggested that the Madrassas in Pakistan have become a breeding ground of Islamic extremism and the source of terrorism (Fair, 2008). They have been mostly explained as dens of terror, and jihad factories, and factories of terror. In common perception, especially after incident of 9/11, Madrassas have turned out to be synonymous with terrorism and terrorist training camps (Mastors& Deffenbaugh, 2007). Many journalists and commentators have suggested that these Madrassas are intended to provide teaching of jihadi literature (Militant education and training) in their course of studies and that their whole curriculum is designed with the purpose to produce holy warriors (Hussain, 2005). Many Western scholars have suggested that there is an innate relationship between Madrassas education and religious extremism, or Talibanism, militancy, anti-Americanism, and even terrorism, on the other hand (Mastors& Deffenbaugh, 2007). In addition, it is argued that students study from Madrassas is meant to make the soldier of God through the reading and teaching of Quran and engaged in militant activities against those who are considered as enemies of Islam (Fair, 2008; Das et al, 2006). However, the issue is not the teaching of Quran and Islamic education, but the extremism and wrong preaching of Islam that does not depict the real picture of Islamic education rather. Quran does not seek the obligation of those who preach to kill innocents and fight against the peaceful people. Moreover, it has been seen that the idea of education and especially educational institutions is very useful instrument to bring a change to mark one significant disjunction between the social and intellectual dimensions of education in the pre-modern and post-modern periods (Hussain, 2005). Experienced coursework writing service is available online.