By Mumini AbdulKareem
A professor of Arabic and Islamic studies, Kwara State University, Malete, Moshood Jimba has called on parents to provide their children and wards with the right education for them to be relevant in the society.
Jimba while speaking on Saturday in Ilorin at the End of the Year and Prize Giving Day Ceremony of Shehu Ibrahim Gambari Arabic and Islamic Institute said such decision will arm the pupils with requisite education to survive in the evolving world and also connect them with Allah.
According to him, “there is the need for Muslim parents to balance Islamic with western education and to make them compete favourably with peers across the world but with God as their focus.
“It is not about how expensive the school is but what they are able to bring out as Muslims with an educational purpose tied to their creator. This is the issue that we must prioritise,” he added.
In his remarks, the proprietor of the school and Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Soliu Woru Mohammed called on parents to give adequate attention to the education of their wards adding that the school has a dual purpose of sound and moral education for all round development of children with emphasis on Islam.
According to him, the school was not established to make profit but the need to fill the void created in the life of Muslim children who attend non-Islamic schools.
He called on parents to take advantage of the quality but cut-price education offered by the school to benefit their children.
He said the school had surpassed expectations in its short time of existence as demonstrated by the brilliant performance put up by the pupils.
Mohammed therefore called on parents to enrol their wards adding that the school is one of the cheapest around as it was established to assist the less privileged and downtrodden in the community.
“The birth of this school is very strategic especially to the Muslims in a religious society that is fast drifting into secularism. We need to stem the tide especially through education to return our schools to the religious precinct where it had its glory days, this will sustain and consolidate the legacies of Sheikh Alimi”.
One of the members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Hajia Bolajoko Muhammed warned against the dangers of secular education to Muslim children and advised the parents to see investment on Islamic and Arabic knowledge on their children as a necessity and worthwhile venture.
One of the parents, Mrs Maryam Abdullateef told National Pilot that although she is a teacher in one of the nursery schools in the state, she brought her child to the school because of the emphasis on Islamic religion saying “I have seen the huge impact on the child” which made me very happy”.
The occasion witnessed recitation from the glorious Quran and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) amidst cultural display and prizes given to outstanding pupils in various categories.
