Nowadays in our country, integrated schools are flourishing everywhere.
The word ‘integration’ becoming a hot item on sales. Perhaps in the ‘educational business’.
The term ‘integrated’ led the parents to imagine how nice to have their children to go to only one school which provides everything. The academic is there, the religious study is there, too. We have fardhu kifayah, we have fardhu ‘ain, all under one roof. Our children will no longer need to go home at noon, change their school uniform, take the 4 daily bus trips to attend the separated Islamic and public school. It is safer, and cheaper too.
The integrated school is the answer to the parents’ need.
However…
We might not do enough justice to what it means by the word integration. Integration to us is just to have two at one place, even if the two do not interact, do not integrate. We might not realize that our integration means appended, and far from integration.
We want al-Quran only in al-Quran’s lesson.
We have not yet think in depth, how much do we need al-Quran to also exist in subjects other than the Quran’s lesson.
Al-Quran in mathematics?
Al-Quran in science?
Al-Quran in history?
Al-Quran in geography?
Al-Quran in economics and accounting?
Al-Quran in languages?
Al-Quran in arts?
Al-Quran in not just the subjects taught, but also al-Quran in the way they are taught?
Is it Quranic the way the teachers teach?
Is it Quranic the way the Quran teachers teach al-Quran?
We overlook, at the end of the schooling process, a graduate from an integrated Islamic school is still a person who has two items in his mind and self. The n0-interaction two and the no-integration two. His academic has nothing to do with his religion, but shadowed by the good akhlaq which might not resulted from any form of integration.
A graduate from an integrated Islamic school is a person who still has the secular mind, no matter if he becomes an adult who wears a neck tie, or a turban.
A ‘hafiz’ engineer is still a secular in mind person, because his engineering is the non Quranic engineering. While his hafiz side, does not influence anything on his engineering at philosophical and epistemological stage.
The question now is, how important is this matter? Is it so important to investigate if the mathematics we learnt is based on an Islamic world view or incautiously we fail to notice any concern? We believe there is no struggle at theoretical and ideological level behind the knowledge we learn!?
“Well, I don’t know. My child seems okay. What are you nagging about?” a parent ask.
It egged me to silence.
If what parents want is only a school that offer the two without any need for the two to interact and integrate, what is then the value of this jihad to integrate Islam and knowledge, in education?
Integrated Islamic schools are springing up like mushrooms after the rain . Some of the mushrooms are poisonous.
Hasrizal
KMSS.EDU.MY