Education
Engaged yet disengaged: Islamic schools and the state in Kano, Nigeria
Improving awareness about historical factors shaping state relationships with religious groups in Muslim countries
Authors:
M. Bano
Publisher:
International Development Department, University of Birmingham, 2009
This study examines the attempts to reform various types of Muslim and government education in Kano (a Muslim state in Nigeria) by encouraging the adoption of curricula containing both secular and religious subjects and providing other types of support.
The paper indicates that unlike elsewhere, the State government of Kano has not intervened in the higher levels of Islamic education. In addition, the state government’s engagement with Islamic schools has been tolerant. Moreover, the study shows that:
- in Kano, Sufi groups, leaders of which avoid direct engagement with politics unless Islam itself is perceived to be under threat, are dominant
- demand for Islamic education continues to be strong
- demand for a curriculum containing secular as well as religious subjects comes from both religious teachers and parents
- state support for Islamic schools, in the form of curriculum development, training some teachers, some financial support is generally welcomed
- higher religious education has been left in the hands of religious scholars
- as can be seen, states’ relationships with religious leaders and schools are interactive and responsive
The paper reveals that the modernisation agenda of post-colonial states is a critical factor shaping reform, but the exact nature of state intervention is determined by the political character of the religious elite. Furthermore, the paper concludes that development planners who are currently attempting to encourage state-led Islamic schools reforms in many countries can design more realistic policies by:
- improving their awareness of the historical and institutional factors shaping state relationships with religious groups in Muslim countries
- making more realistic assessments of the nature of reforms a state is likely to initiate and the likely responses to these reforms from the religious elite
