Bismillah:
Assalamo ALikum.
<b>-------------------------------------------------</b>
| DATE: 2007-02-20 | PRINT | BOOKMARK
<b>The Education Development Centre (EDC) has started a survey to find out whether the study of Holy Quran should be introduced as a separate subject in schools. </b>
The survey form includes a four page questionnaire and contains such questions on whether the Holy Quran should be introduced as a subject and offers four other options to those who do not agree. The four choices are: ‘introduce Holy Quran as an extracurricular activity’, ‘incorporate the study of the Holy Quran in Islamic Studies subject’, ‘special Quran classes’, and ‘other’.
Currently, the school syllabus does not include Holy Quran as a subject, instead it is taught as a separate component in Islamic Studies.
The survey is being conducted by EDC because the national curriculum is being revised this year.
EDC has refused to comment on the survey, however, Haveeru has been able to find out that several senior school officials and teachers had requested that the Holy Quran be taught as a subject in schools.
The survey has drawn criticism from one of the political parties of Maldives, Adhaalath Party (AP). The Party has collected signatures from various people to protest against the survey and submitted the letter to the President, Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, President of AP said.
“The question of whether the Holy Quran should be taught as a subject is not even something that needs to be asked,” he said. “If we are a 100 percent Muslim country than it is compulsory that we teach it as a subject in schools. Those who devise the curriculum should do so. This is not something that should depend on a few people’s opinion. Islamic religion and the Holy Quran should be taught as separate subjects.”
<b>The letter sent by AP to the President states that Holy Quran should be taught as a subject and that it should be made a ‘compulsory subject’. - HNS</b>
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