Islamic Education in West and Central Africa

Abstract

Islamic schools in West Africa, madrasahs (medersas), continue to evolve and flourish, playing an increasingly significant role in the education of children. As school enrollment increases in the region, public schools are increasingly overcrowded. Related to overcrowding, but also to teacher preparation, curriculum, and the availability of learning materials, public schools face challenges in ensuring the education provided is of high quality, as recent studies (such as the early grade reading assessment and others) demonstrate. For Muslim communities in West Africa, Islamic schools have responded to parents’ dissatisfaction with educational quality and their desire to ensure that, in a rapidly changing world, children are strongly attached to and educated in their faith. This chapter draws on three studies that have been conducted in West Africa – in Nigeria (2003/2004), in Ghana (2006), and in Mali (2009/2010) – by the author, with funding from the US Agency for International Development, as well as other recent literature on the topic. This chapter looks at the characteristics of madrasahs in these countries and trends in the madrasah sector in light of the educational environment and needs to which these schools are responding, while also bringing in examples from other countries. Key topics touched on include school leadership, pedagogy and teaching, curriculum and parental preference, and involvement.