I wondered where they hid the student of madrasah? All the madrasah seem to host souvenir shops or boutique hotels. Well yesterday I finally found one active madrasah near that famous bazaar. The entrance fee was 15000 som ( RM5 ); I guessed it would not hurt to contribute. The building seemed old and ancient so maintenance must be done on regular basis.
At the entrance, we met Abdulla who is the student there. He reluctantly accepted our request to show around. He can speak a little bit of Arabic and English; well that’s good enough. He showed us the classrooms and the place where the teachers eat lunch and labs for calligraphy etc.
The classroom was set up as modern class with tables, chairs and AC. About 15 tables fit in a tiny room. The yard was kept neat and clean with beautiful flowers all around. the madrasah is financed partially by IDB.
The curriculum was a basic set of Islamic subjects with some additional skills lesson. Nothing outstanding just a regular low level tertiary education. From my experience, this type of institution would not be able to produce the much needed skilled workforce that the country is looking for. All it does is to fill up the gap for those that have finished school. Abdulla told us many of the students are from other countries in the Central Asian region. But again ,maybe its role is more significant than just filling up the gap.
As it was Sunday, the students were not there. Only tourists come and go. This madrasah like many others, stood next to a bazaar. Historically, madrasah and bazaar were two important parts of the people’s main daily activities. Once a week the sheikh of the madrasah would open a public lecture and people would come from near and far to listen and learn; and then proceeded with Friday prayers in the afternoon. So the area around madrasah would thriving with people and business grew until a bazaar was established. Those were the days when life was simple and the focus was clear. Learning became important and the learned ones held high position in the society.
Well the time has changed , either here or back home in Malaysia, and our perception and expectations will change. But the fundamentals must be there to steer our conscience towards the right path of Islam.
Abdullah hesitated when I handed him some money. Not much of a fee but an appreciation for his effort to show us around. Good luck Abdullah!
