All of us are familiar with the word madrasa. As per the definition from Oxford, it means a college for Islamic instructions. In the early days, madrasas were established near Masjids to provide religious education and awareness for children. And now it is developed according to modern trends. Systematic educational boards were established, smart classrooms and innovative methods were put into practice. But the necessity of online madrasa opens in another way. The lack of Islamic teachers in certain places, the time schedule of school education, and the lack of madrasa in Muslim minority places became the reason for the online madrasa.
Scope of online madrasa
Let us discuss the scope of the online madrasa and online Islamic elementary school at national/local and international levels.
National level: At national level our school system and tutorial process consume the major time of students. They didn’t get time to achieve Islamic education through the traditional madrasa system. The arrival of online Islamic school will fill this gap. Online classes have time flexibility and easy accessibility. It will also reduce the mental and physical strain on pupil.
International level: A large number of foreign countries haven’t madrasa system. Even in gulf countries there haven’t a proper Islamic elementary education system that suitable for our children. So undoubtedly we can find the necessity of the elementary education system in those countries. An Online platform with qualified teachers and well-organized curriculum can supply quality Islamic education.
Learning environment
Medium: Internet is the medium of online/virtual schools. In online Islamic schools, learner and teacher communicate through the internet. Tele-communication applications like skype, zoom, google meet, and so on are the general medium of a virtual school. Independent websites and learning applications can also use for this purpose.
Duration: Flexibility is the main advantage of an online Islamic school. Course duration and class time can be determined by the availability of teacher and learner. The duration can be arranged based on the class interval .i.e, daily, weekend, or biweekly.
Syllabus: Syllabus in the virtual classroom has more importance than other factors. It should prepare by including the most prominent parts in an attractive and scientific method. Online Islamic elementary school should include basic theology, fiqh, Arabic basic teaching, Qur’an recitation, seera (Islamic history) and Islamic life science. Intermediate and higher education should teach the developed version of the mentioned parts. Including technical education like coding, language training and soft skill development will attract the parents towards online Islamic schools.
Live class and pre recorded class
Virtual classes have two modes; live class and pre-recorded class. In online live madrasa classes, learner and teacher interact at the same time. But in pre-recorded class lectures were already recorded and uploaded, and the learner hears his class according to his comfort or time schedule.
Both of them have advantages and disadvantages. The live class makes a lively environment by face to face interaction and quick response. But it may be interrupted by any technical issues or time availability of teacher or learner. Pre-recorded class are time friendly so that learner can listen to the classes whenever he wishes. But it may affect the consistency of learning. By providing both live class and prerecorded class we can overcome these issues. Online live madrasa classes and pre-recorded class can be arranged by subject preference and learning productivity.
The importance of Online Islamic schools is increasing day by day. The Pupil needs quality and systematic education that focuses on the best result. Initiatives like Meem academia are doing admirable service in this field. Let our children learn Islam through suitable and productive sources.
Riyas Rasheed Azhari
