Describe the structure, content and methods of Islamic education.

Structure and methods of education

The impetus towards learning during the early period of Islam came from the caliphs who not only encouraged learning in their courts but also built libraries to house collections of the manuscripts acquired from various sources. For instance, a big library was opened at Bagdad in AD 786, a process copied by the other rulers. Within a short time, every major city boasted of a public library in addition to private collections housed in mosques and palaces.
The early schools were started in every mosque where; reading, writing as well as the Koran and numbers were emphasized. The aim was to preserve the Koran by committing it to the memory through recitation of the verses. With time however, a clear three tier system of education was established both in the East as well as Spain, the leading centre of Islamic learning in Europe.

Elementary schools

The rich (upper class) usually employed tutors for their male children when they attained the age of six. The children of the low class attended elementary schools that were usually located in the mosques called Kuttab or Koran schools because of their emphasis on the holy book. These schools were open to both boys and girls and gave free tuition or charged very low fees. The schools taught; the Koran, reading, writing, arithmetic, history, ethics and geography with the Koran being the chief text for reading. The poor took three years in these schools before enrolling for a trade or industrial work. The rich boys however stayed on up to the age of 14 before proceeding for higher education or travelling with a tutor. The methods of instructions were mostly memorization and imitation.

Secondary schools

These were known as madrassas or colleges that mostly offered education to the children of the wealthy. They were headed by a rector with teachers who were highly learned, well trained and well paid Jews or Christians. The curriculum in these schools resembled that of medieval monastic and cathedral schools - Arabic literature, grammar, mathematics, metaphysics, astronomy, logic, chemistry and medicine. These were self-supporting institutions where tuition was charged at first but with time, contributions from philanthropists and government aid were used to pay teachers' salaries as well as meet student expenses.

Higher institutions

Higher education was offered in institutions called Jamii or university that were equivalent to modern universities. The students and professors lived together in shared accommodation. The institutions had special departments or schools that were created for various science disciplines. They had medical schools with chemical laboratories and equipped hospitals for clinical instruction as well as school of astronomy with observatories. Their schools taught mathematics, agriculture, music, navigation, physics, philosophy, surgery and geography taught using globes. One of the most advanced institutions was at Cordova in Spain.
These institutions were open to all, rich or poor, native or foreigner. Financial aid was offered by benefactors to those who needed it. Learning was based on scientific methods that involved; lectures, experiments and observations. Well equipped laboratories and clinics enabled the Moslems to make many discoveries. Students also translated Greek works and made commentaries on them.

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marto answered the question on March 19, 2019 at 08:58