THE GOALS OF MADRASAH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN SINGAPORE : OBSTACLES AND RECOMMENDATION

Abstract

Madrasah education lives a silent existence in a secular environment such as Singapore. Nevertheless, the faith oriented educational system strives in this religiously sterile style of government. Curiously, the demand for madrasah education is steadily increasingly. Unaided by the government, the Muslim community, has its own means of sustaining its religious heritage. The minority group saw to the redevelopment of few madrasahs in the past and is continuing the efforts, through public contributions. But how will the educational system meet the challenges that come with high demand for its education and in facing its goals? The task here is to study how madrasahs' goals are affected by its popularity and how parents' reasons for sending their children to such institutions affect their goals. Madrasahs are faced with the urgent need to accommodate the high demand without sacrificing their facilities and quality of education, as is currently the case. Parents' reasons for sending their children are found to be less crucial in affecting madrasahs' goals, than their intellectual and spiritual involvement in their children's education. Likewise, their awareness of the Madrasahs' mission is more important than reasons cited. However, the study found that a child's interest and ability in madrasah education useful for Madrasahs' goal attainment efforts. This study also looked into government's reactions to the issue and how its policies influence the interaction between the supply and demand for madrasah education. Government's policies are found to either discourage the enrollment into conventional schools unintentionally or to suffocate madrasahs with its lack of aid. In the midst of all these, madrasahs will have to continue the search for solutions to the present and future challenges to ensure a continued existence in an environment unfriendly to its existence.