Muslim women attends workshop on relevance of secular education

Tamale, July 25, GNA – Muslim parents in the Northern Region have been advised not to concentrate their children's education on only Arabic teaching but should blend it with secular education.

Hajia Hajara Telly, Regional President of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMAG), gave the advice in Tamale on Friday at a two-day workshop for Muslim women in the region on the “relevance of secular education of the Muslim child”. It was sponsored by Action Aid-Ghana.

Topics discussed include the “rights and responsibilities of the Muslim child”, “importance of secular education to the Muslim child” and the “role of the Muslim parent in child up-bringing”.

Hajia Telly said education was very important to the development of every nation, saying: “That is why giant strides by governments in the form of policies and strategies such as the School Feeding Grants, the Free Compulsory Universal and Basic Education and the Capitation Grant had been put in place to encourage children to attend school.”

She said despite such initiatives, the number of Muslim children outside the classroom was high.

Hajia Telly said those who enrolled were not supported to continue and aspire to greater heights.

She said every one irrespective of religion had the right to education, devoid of gender and that it was time for Muslim parents to be up and doing.

“That is why Prophet Mohammed said if one has to journey as far as to China to seek knowledge then one must do that.”

Alhaji Issah Moodoo, a Muslim Cleric noted that secular education is not taken seriously in the region by Muslims.

He said Muslims should enrol their children into formal schools to prepare them for the job market.

Alhaji Moodoo observed that because of the negligence of some Muslim parents, their children turned to truants and were indulged in social vices, which needed to be reversed.

GNA