This post was written in 2017 on the writer’s personal social media sharing platform. Article and photos republished with permission.
The year was 2017. Whenever I told my non-Malay/Muslim friends (or even some Muslim friends) where my children were schooling, a common reaction would be, “Do they cover the same syllabus?” “Are they on par with the national schools?” My answer would always be a resounding “Yes!” and then I’ll proceed to share a bit more about their school.
Then I read a comment by someone online about how madrasah students only learn Arabic and English (not even Malay??), as if they were undergoing some kind of ‘Arab colonisation’. I felt that there were too many misconceptions about madrasah education that I decided to share more about what at least one of our local full time madrasahs – Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri – is like. This depiction is still largely true today, to the best of my knowledge.
Intention
There are different reasons why Muslim parents in Singapore may choose Madrasah education for their children:
- To provide them with a holistic education which encompasses Islamic education as well – either to groom them into becoming religious leaders with good foundations in academic knowledge, or into Muslim professionals grounded with Islamic knowledge,
- To allow them to study in an Islamic environment,
- To allow them to wear a school uniform that covers their aurah (body parts that need to be covered by men/women upon puberty – some Muslim parents prefer to start young)
- To provide them with more educational options or pathways in the future – be it the academic or religious pathway.
Admission
When the children are in Kindergarten 2 (6 years old), candidates will have to sit for the Madrasah Entrance Test (MET) in April or May. The test usually comprises written and oral components for English, Mathematics, Malay, Arabic and Al-Quran. Applications tend to exceed the number of vacancies available by more than 100%, so it is a very stressful test for parents and children, actually! We know of parents who started preparing their children for the MET since they were four years old or younger, and MET preparatory classes have also mushroomed in recent years. Nevertheless, all parents who have decided to let their children sit for the MET must understand that getting a place in the madrasah (or not!) is truly by the Grace of Allah, regardless of the preparations done.
Curriculum
At primary school, these are their subjects:
- English language (based on latest MOE syllabus, STELLAR and all)
- Mathematics (based on latest MOE syllabus)
- Science (based on latest MOE syllabus) – P3 onwards
- Malay language (based on latest MOE syllabus)
- Arabic language
- Al Qur’an
- Tarbiyyah (Islamic knowledge, consisting of Islamic history, theology, jurisprudence and Islamic social studies – In English, one per term)
- Tarbiyyah Arabic (Islamic knowledge in Arabic) (P4 onwards)
- Nahu (Arabic Grammar) (P4 or 5 onwards)
As for the first four subjects, MOE-approved textbooks and workbooks are used. The books for the Islamic subjects are locally published in consultation with and under the supervision of the Madrasah Education branch in MUIS.
Enrichment and CCAÂ
1. Students are allocated two periods called ‘Whitespace’ (2 periods) every week, where students get to experience different activities (one per term, different programmes for different levels) not limited to:
- Art programmes
- ICT lessons
- Martial arts (Aikido/Silat)
- Gymnastics
- Leadership programmes
- Robotics
- Sports and games
2. After-school enrichment classes may include Mathematics problem-solving classes and English or Malay writing workshops, among others. There is also the Tahfiz (Quran memorisation) class that students can enrol in.
3. A variety of interesting CCAs are highly sought after and students even have to ballot to get a place in CCAs such as:
- Archery
- Junior Masterchef
- Taekwando
- Robotics
- Khat (Arabic calligraphy)
- Outdoor Adventure
- Gardening
- Sports CCAs – soccer, badminton, swimming, netball, track and field and more
- Other programmes not listed above
4. They are not left out in international or national competitions such as ICAS, Math Olympiad, Robotics competitions, and Babble and Speak to name a few.
5. Prior to the pandemic, the P5 camps were usually conducted in training centres or campsites in Malaysia for a more rigorous and interesting outdoor experience. P5 students also had a chance to participate in overseas Community Involvement Programmes (CIP), such as in Johor Bahru and Batam. Some batches of students even conquered Mt. Ophir!
6. Once or twice a year, the Primary 3 to 6 students will also participate in a 2D1N Mukhayyam, a spiritual retreat filled with motivational talks, reminders and night prayers (Tahajjud).
Teachers
Teachers for the four PSLE subjects comprise of both NIE-trained teachers (ex-teachers from MOE schools) and teachers trained in education from local and overseas universities and institutions. They also attend short courses or teacher conferences organised by NIE as well as publishers here. Teachers of Islamic subjects are qualified asatizah (religious teachers) who have graduated from Islamic institutions and universities locally and abroad, too.
At this point, I must say I have much respect for all the teachers in the madrasah, for their sincere dedication and love for the students. If you think that the students are going through a lot, imagine the teachers! May Allah reward all the teachers with the best of rewards!
Assessments
The P1s and P2s have bite-sized assessments for English and Mathematics and CA1, SA1, CA2 and SA2 for all other subjects. Other levels have all four main assessments for all subjects. Yes, it is stressful for both kids and parents! But we survived, and will continue to survive these ‘tests’ on our mental and spiritual strength!
PSLE
The Primary 6 students will take the same PSLE papers for the four main subjects on the same dates and times as their other counterparts in regular mainstream schools in Singapore. What I always admired is their love and care for the Primary 6 students in terms of their spiritual, mental and physical preparation for the exams.
PSLE results? 100% passes for a few years running and their mean score has always been above national average, Alhamdulillah!
School hours
Assembly begins at 7.30 am but classes start at around 7.55 am. Lessons continue till 2.25 pm with 1 recess break (@ canteen) and 2 snack times (in class). Prior to the pandemic, at 2.25 pm, they would proceed to the adjacent mosque for Zuhr (noon) prayers till about 3pm (on Fridays they join the adjoining mosque congregation for Friday prayers and end the day after that). Yes, the kids are very tired (and hungry) at the end of the day, but as many madrasah graduates would say, these are the things (on top of the many subjects and assessments, and climbing of stairs) that mould them into stronger individuals!
Of course, the day does not end there when they have after-school activities, enrichment, CCA or remedial sessions.
They enjoy the same gazetted school and public holidays in Singapore.
National Education
Here, students also learn to love their country. One of the chapters in their Arabic textbooks is about the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, narrating his achievements in building Singapore. In their annual Islamic Social Studies project, there was a year where the Primary 2 students designed a scrap book on the different kinds of food unique to the different ethnic groups in Singapore. The Primary 3 students also carried out a project on important landmarks and symbols in Singapore while the Primary 4 students did one on past leaders of Singapore. During a recent Racial Harmony Day celebration, there was also an inter-class competition where each level were tasked to decorate the classes according to a certain ethnic group in Singapore. National Day is also an annual celebration where students and teachers wear red and white during the celebrations. These projects and programmes certainly raised their awareness about the different cultures and races in Singapore and instilled their sense of belonging to the country.
Conclusion
I hope this sharing creates more awareness on the kind of education our local full-time madrasah students are getting. What is clear is that we have no intention of grooming them into narrow-minded, exclusive citizens or worse, into radicalised Muslims for whatever purpose. With the kind of education they are getting, I am more than confident that they can integrate well with the society and will be important assets to the nation, too!
The above is based on my knowledge of the system as a parent (please do NOT treat this as official information on the madrasah!) While this information may not be representative of the other full time madrasah in Singapore, I believe that they largely operate in similar ways – at least where the academic subjects are concerned 🙂. There are also, of course, many other things about the madrasah that I have not shared here.
May the Almighty continue to bless all madrasah with prosperity and progress!
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the articles on The Ocean’s Ink are the authors’ own, written in their personal capacity. They may not reflect the view of The Ocean’s Ink or IMSGP as an organisation.