British Expatriate Network

End of Local Education Authorities

Parents’ groups, charities, faith bodies, and mutual organizations will have greater role in delivering educational services under plans being drawn up by both Labour and Tory parties. Swedish system of independent state schools, financed by vouchers, is now inspiring the Tory Party to set British schools free from LEAs. The proposal will end 60 years of local government control of education,

Since 1944, all schools have been under a statutory obligation to provide for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the schools. All state schools have failed to help children to achieve such goals. This is the main reason why silent majority of Muslim parents would prefer to send their children to Muslim schools. Even OFSTED is unable to assess the spiritual and moral development of the children. There is ample evidence that state schools foster intolerance, hate and bullying. There is no evidence that Muslim schools indoctrinate children with values and endanger shared society. Primary Review reports on diversity presents a powerful attack on current educational discourse in relation to diversity and to bilingual pupils in particular. The schools and teachers see children’s use of languages other than English as a ‘barrier to learning’ instead of recognizing and respecting them.

It is crucial that Muslim children should be surrounded with the languages, culture and faith. Faith is powerful element of both personal and community identity. They need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim pupils are in majority, in my opinion and in the opinion of the silent majority of Muslim parents, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. Muslim schools are not only faith schools, they are more or less bilingual schools. Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and well versed in Standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. They need to learn and well versed in Arabic to recite and understand the Holy Quran. They need to learn and well versed in Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. Bilingualism is brilliant for the development of intellectual ability and cultural understanding. The great diversity of cultures and languages should be the key to the development of Britain as a world leader in multilingual, multi-cultural integration and partnership, an example to every other nation of how people of all faiths and cultures can live, learn and work together in harmony for a more just and fair world for everybody.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

So the Butler act will hit the dust. Ah well all things must pass. I agree that Muslim children should be versed in their culture, language and religion, as should Hindus, Catholics and for heavens sake, Brits. Britain should be allowed to allow the Brits to continue their Christianity, their church schools their own culture whilst being accepting of incomers they should not be asked to put aside their own culture.
Anyone for a curry?

Salaam

Muslim schools are not only faith schools but they are more or less
bilingual schools.

Bilingual Muslim children need to learn standard English to follow the
National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve
humanity. They need to be well versed in Arabic to recite and understand the
Holy Quran. They need to be well versed in Urdu and other community
languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of
their literature and poetry.

Bilingualism is an asset but the British schooling regards it as a problem.
A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to
become notoriously monolingual Brit. Pakistan is only seven hours from
London and majority of British Muslims are from Pakistan.

More than third of British Muslim have no qualifications. British school
system has been failing large number of Muslims children for the last 60
years. Muslim scholars see the pursuit of knowledge as a duty, with the
Quran containing several verses to the rewards of learning. 33% of British
Muslims of working age have no qualifications and Muslims are also the least
likely to have degrees or equivalent qualifications. Most of estimated
500,000 Muslim school-aged pupils in England and Wales are educated in the
state system with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. Majority of them are
underachievers because they are at a wrong place at a wrong time.

Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual
Muslim teachers during their developmental periods. There is no place for a
non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. As far as higher education
is concerned, Muslim students can be educated with others.

You better concentrate on native children for their proper education. Let
Muslim community educate its own children so that they can develop their own
Islamic, cultural and linguistic identities.

We are living in an English speaking country and English is an international
language, therefore, we want our children to learn and be well versed in
standard English and at the same time well versed in Arabic, Urdu and Arabic
languages. Is there anything wrong with this approach?

Surely Islam and the history and culture of countries in predominantly Islamic countries are two separate things. For instance if there are non-Asian converts to Islam, why would they need to learn the history of Pakistan or Iran or whatever over British history? I mean, kids in Christian schools don't learn the history or culture of Israel in any great detail other than to serve their religion.

I think government should stay out of religion as it does in the US.

in the US religion does,nt stay out of politics thats the problem

I agree. The freedom to practice religion is fine when carried out in the privacy of one's own home, place of worship or privately funded school.

Britain actually separates church and state better than the United States, even though it is not in its constitution and it has a national religion. The Church of England really only holds a token position in this modern age and is tolerated by most because it rarely interferes in politics and when it does, is largely ignored.

The separation in the US is documented much better but is largely ignored for one reason or another. It would take a very brave politician to attempt to redress the balance to what the constitution describes but I live in hope.

Sorry, I don't agree with the British state paying towards Muslim schools any more than I agree with it paying towards Christian-only or Jewish-only schools. You have the right to send your children to schools slanted towards your religion but I'd only be happy paying towards the state system and not personal agenda driven schools. Britain for the most part has evolved beyond religion and seems to have it more sensibly placed in society, so to expect the nation to pay to revive religious teachings in state-funded schools would be pushing one's luck somewhat. Certainly, to suggest pushing non-Muslim children out of schools because they have become the minority is really asking for trouble - imagine how it would have been had the non-Muslim parents asked to push the Muslim children out when they were in the minority? That is not what Britain is or ever should be about.

I think one of the greatest strengths of the UK education system over the US is the fact that it is mandatory to learn religious education covering all the major religions, the best weapon to combat ignorance is education. That said I have no problem with a privately funded school creating their own curriculum as long as they have the students cover the subjects required in the national curriculum.

The critical words here are, 'privately funded'.

If I moved to Iran or Pakistan would they be up for using public money to fund a COE school?

Privatly funded is okay and they should be allowed to teach what they choose as well as the public choosing which school they attend .

public money for religious education no way .
problem is some religion somewhere will be left out of the corriculum if religion is in the public funded schools .
Because some religions get more of the masses attending there rituals doesnt make them more important


its like allowing religions symbols to be shown in public buildings every says its okay for jewish , christian , moslim to be represented but if any dare to include anything like wicca the complains begin who chooses ?? what are and what are not allowed .

there all voodoo.superstition and things that go bump in night as far as im concerned ....

Salaam

State funded Muslim schools follow the National CUrriculum, with English as a medium of instruction. Special attention is being given to the teaching of standard English so that Muslium children can follow the National Curriclum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity.At the same time Muslim children are being taught Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry.

Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role modesl. A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to become notoriously monolingual Brit.

I think that stereotype is a bit outdated. I learned French at school to a high level and some German in the army. My sister speaks French better than I do. My brother is fluent in German and Russian and also speaks Arabic. We all went to English secondary schools. I doubt we are the exceptions.

I respect the issue you raise but feel that it could be better taken care of by the families and communities the children live in. Britain has hundreds of different cultures to try to accommodate so it is unrealistic to expect special treatment - what makes one culture more deserving than another? The easiest way is to provide a general education for all and then leave it up to individual families and communities if they wish to add to that.

Good point. I think it is necessary to provide a certain level of teaching about ALL world religions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/religion/pip/2fcan/

Former Muslim radical Shiraz Maher spent his student days campaigning for an Islamic caliphate in which execution for renouncing Islam would be written into the constitution. Now Shiraz is calling for moderation and greater Muslim integration into British life, a stance which has meant he himself is now labelled an apostate by some Muslim radicals, for which the penalty is death. He asks whether such an extreme punishment is really justified by the Qu'ran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

Iftikhar, I wondered if you had heard this radio program, available on listen again, and where you stood as to the execution of apostates?

Why should the provision of bilingual schools be the responsibility of the state? The state should not be involved in providing specialist education to a minority demographic, if it is so important to you that your child receives specific education in line with your heritage and beliefs then you are at liberty to pay for it yourself, but don't ask a taxpayer to. Should we then pay for schools to teach children fromex-pat balkan nations about their national heritage?...Of course not. They should be taught the national heritage of the country they reside and other important events in world history, if it is that important you as a parent to have your history represented then teach them yourself.