Madrasah education
Madrasahs have seen and accepted the need for improvements. In line with this,
15 courses for asatizahs were conducted in the areas of teaching methods and
skills, and teachers teaching academic subjects attended courses organised by
the National Institute of Education.
In the year, a four-module Student Development Programme was organised.
Examination preparation for ‘O’ level students was also conducted for madrasah
candidates.
On the IT front, 1999 saw the completion of the Madrasah IT Plan Phase 1. This
involved the setting up of IT infrastructure in four madrasahs. A computer-aided
management information system, the Madrasah Mosque Administration Systems (MAS),
was implemented throughout madrasahs and mosques, rendering the administration of
madrasahs and mosques more efficient.
The asatizahs also participated in a computer ownership scheme. Seventy-seven
asatizahs took advantage of the offer of a MUIS grant of $500 each and a further
rebate of $200 from the PC vendor. Internet home-pages for four madrasahs were
developed and all asatizahs were given an email account to enhance communication.
The madrasah education system was developed to further advance madrasah education.
The new system is an improved version of the current madrasah education, and is
tailored to provide sound religious education that is practical, contemporary,
cosmopolitan and relevant to modern Singapore. The new system will see the twinning
of Madrasah Aljunied and Madrasah Al-Irsyad.
Part-time madrasahs run by mosques are also being improved so they can complement
full-time madrasahs in providing religious education more effectively, in line
with the recent changes in the national education policy.
