Quran-Arabic: A historical overview of efforts to get them woven into the national education fabric (1i)

In the first instalment of the above captioned article published in The Times, the Muslim Action Party (MAP) made every conceivable political effort to get Quran-Arabic woven into the national education fabric. We continue from where I left off.

As made clear in the first article, the problems faced by Muslims in Ghana in the new Western Educational system goes as far back as 1896 when the first of such school was established for them in Ekrawfo in the Central Region of the country. Twelve years after its establishment the school collapsed, principally, for the absence of the Quran and Arabic subjects in the curriculum. In pursuance of a solution to their predicaments, the Muslim Association Organisation was formed in 1932 to take care of Muslim interests in education and social matters. Initially, it was a strict non-partisan party. In 1942 the leadership of the association fielded Bankole Renner as its candidate in the Accra municipal elections. In 1948 it declared support for the UGCC which spear-headed the drive for independence. When Nkrumah broke off from it and formed the CPP, the Muslim Action shifted support to the more promising CPP. They went into alliance with the CPP on condition that the latter would build Islamic schools for them if the CPP should win the elections. Failure of the CPP to honour its promises after winning the elections, the Muslim Action broke off from the alliance in 1953, with the aim of contesting municipal and national elections as an autonomous political party. Subsequently, it won two out of the six seats it contested in the Accra municipal elections. The Party then extended its activities to Kumasi, where it was transformed into a full political party (MAP).

It was also in Kumasi where it went into a second alliance with the NLM of Baffuor Akoto, the Northern People’s Party of Jatoe Kaleo, plus some other minor parties to become the United Party (UP). The political atmosphere in Kumasi was also more conducive to the growth of the MAP due to the active support it received from the Zongo chiefs, namely: Amadu Baba (Sarkin Zongo), Alhaji Chiroma, Imam of the central mosque; Ustaz Alfa Lardani, an astute Arabic scholar and head of the Zongo volunteers and the various tribal chiefs. Little wonder in the 1954 Kumasi municipal election, the MAP won four out of the six seats it contested in a total of 24 seats.

It was a big success and morale booster. Yet due to a number of weaknesses the party lost when it won only a seat out of the 15 seats it contested in the national election of 1954, organised in June. Even though the party lost gallantly, its political fortune and activities subsequently began to dwindle. The death blow was delivered to it after 1957 when the CPP deported leading members including Amadu Baba and Ustaz Lardani to Nigeria for meddling religion in politics according to the CPP.

But one thing that stands out conspicuously throughout the MAP’s struggles was their honesty and sincerity of intentions to use politics as a means to achieve the end of getting modern Islamic schools built for the Muslims by the government. That meant getting the Quran-Arabic factor becoming part and parcel of the national curriculum like how the Bible and Christian knowledge are part of the national curriculum.

May I kindly draw the indulgence of noble readers to the fact that by stating the political activities of the MAP in detail in connection with their demand for an Islamic education, I am not politicking. On the contrary, I am trying to debunk the erroneous idea, particularly from some fellow Muslims that Muslims have made no contributions whatever to education in the country. Thanks, therefore, for your understanding.

Getting to the latter part of the 1940’s the proprietors of 12 Quranic Schools (Makarantas) in the Kumasi Zongo decided to put their heads together and formed the first Arabic-English school in the Muslim Community in the country. Each contributed 10 students to the school that became known as the Al-Fallah Arabic-English School. Amadu Baba was the chairman, while Abdul Mutawwakil was the secretary. Due to the intense political rivalry between the Pro-UP Amadu Baba and the Pro-CPP Mutawwakil, the school disintegrated after operating for some five years. Out of its debris was formed the Suame Ahliyya Arabic-English School at Suame, a suburb in Kumasi. Then spread like mushrooms the growth of Arabic-English schools in every part of the Muslim Community in the country. It may also be remarked in passing that the Swedru Arabic School, established by Maulana Mubashir Amir of Ahmadiyyat as far back as the Gold Coast, collapsed, most probably for lack of funding.

In effect a challenge that has persistently confronted the Muslims, especially in basic education was lack of funding.

When Nkrumah took on the reigns of government in 1957, French and Arabic, besides English, were introduced into the national curriculum at the Secondary School level, principally for the fact that these three languages constitute the official languages in the various countries forming the O.A.U.

However, naturally Arabic and French became examinable at WAEC. Hence experts in them were employed to teach the two subjects as an option. In T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School established in 1950, Maulana Abdul Haq (M.A. in Arabic) and Ibrahim Bin Sa’eed (B. A in Arabic from Iraq) taught Arabic. Similarly in 1975 when the Islamic-Secondary Commercial, now government, was established with Saudi funds, Arabic graduate teachers from Egypt taught the Arabic. Amongst them were Ustaz Fadl Rahman, Ahmad Raafat, and Sakar, etc. In effect paying the salaries of qualified Arabic teachers at the secondary school level has never been a problem. It was rather at the basic level (JHS) where payment has ever been acute, which was clear from my first article.

The Muslims of Ghana subsequently thank all previous governments from independence up to date for whatever they have done in finding solutions to these challenges facing Muslims. It is, therefore, deeply appreciated that for the first time ever, the NPP in 2024 made Arabic examinable at the J.H.S level, which momentum was maintained by the current NDC Administration of Pres. Mahama in 2025.

Pertinent to state that it was Arabic education under the Muslims that gave especially black Africa (Sudan) formal education for the first time ever that enabled authentic history of the continent to be written down. Secondly, it was Arabic education under the Muslims that, for the first time ever, established the black African University of Timbuctoo in West Africa in 1,100BC. It was one of the world’s leading universities where you needed a pass in Arabic to enter it, just as you needed a pass in Arabic to enter a European university at that time.

“Quran – Arabic should become subjects taught to Muslims at the basic and secondary school levels of education in the country, besides the tertiary levels.”

Unlike previously, when the country lacked qualified teachers to teach the Arabic, communities can now boast of Arabic graduates in their thousand from the Middle East Universities and from local universities, with special reference to our prestigious Legon. This promise by Mahama to boost Arabic education could not have come at a better time. So the ball is now rolling in the court of Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of education, to fulfill this dream of the Muslims as loudly echoed in the speeches of the President. Let all the Muslim sects operating in the country send their proposals to the minister for consideration. No time for complacency since much is yet to be achieved.

Conclusion:
Quran – Arabic should become subjects taught to Muslims at the basic and secondary school levels of education in the country, besides the tertiary levels.

By: KHALID KOFI AHMAD

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