Council wants Arabic to be an examinable subject at BECE

Wa, Aug 8, GNA - The Islamic Education Unit Council has held fruitful discussions with educational policy makers on the need of making Arabic Language an examinable subject at the Basic Education Certificate Examination, (BECE).

The Council has, therefore, presented a syllabus to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service for approval and subsequent implementation in schools, Alhaji Salih Nurideen, Upper West Regional Manager of Islamic Education Unit, has announced in Wa.

He said under the current educational system, Islamic Schools teach the secular subjects alongside Arabic and Islamic Studies lessons.

The combination of the two disciplines has led to the Council's decision to draw up a syllabus that would bring uniformity in the teaching of Islamic disciplines throughout the country.

Alhaji Nurideen announced this at a capacity building workshop for 80 Arabic teachers and Instructors in Wa, at the weekend.

The workshop sought to improve the professional competence of the Arabic Teachers who are mostly untrained to enable them to surmount challenges that may arise due to the new development.

Alhaji Nurideen said there had always been suspicions and fear among Muslims about sending their children to secular schools, which they associated with Christianity.

He said the Islamic Education Unit was established within the framework of national policies and programmes in response to these fears and suspicions, after carefully studying the situation, and taking into consideration that education is the right of every child.

Alhaji Nurideen said the government was determined to encourage Muslims to pursue secular education in addition to Islamic education to enable them to take up responsible positions and contribute meaningfully to the development agenda.

He urged the teachers to take what they would be taught at the workshop seriously and remember the tradition of the Prophet which stated: "Knowledge is the lost animal of the Muslim, wherever he finds it he should avail himself of it".