Students at Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah continue their stellar performance at IBDP exams

1. The International Baccalaureate Organisation released the results of the 2022 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programmes (IBDP) examinations on 2 Jan 2023. All nineteen students from the Azhar-IB track at Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah passed their IBDP examinations and have been conferred a Bilingual Diploma¹ in the International Baccalaureate Programme. The average points attained by the school is 36.05 points. This is higher than the average global scores of 30.91 out of 45.

2. Apart from the IBDP qualification, students in the Azhar-IB track will also be conferred with the Aliyah Diploma upon completion of their Aliyah exams later this year. These qualifications are part of MUIS’ efforts to enhance madrasah education and increase students’ opportunities to continue their Islamic Studies journey at both traditional Islamic universities and other tertiary institutions that accept IB Diploma as an entrance criteria.

IBDP at Madrasah Aljunied

3. MUIS together with Madrasah Aljunied introduced the revised Islamic studies curriculum in 2015. It included the integration of eighteen individual subjects into seven integrated Islamic studies subjects², additional O level subjects, new elective programmes and the introduction of the IBDP to the Aliyah programme under the Azhar-IB³ track. The IBDP was adopted to complement and support the Islamic Studies programme at the Aliyah level in Madrasah Aljunied as it provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be active and effective learners in the 21st century. The learning experience, training, exposure, research, and investigation rigour as well as community service activities and engagements not only prepare students for university life but also provide the necessary thinking skills and perspectives which are critical for the development of future religious scholars and leaders in Singapore. Such skills are critical for our future Asatizah to develop as they will need to address new, emerging and increasingly more complex socio-religious issues in the future. The Islamic Studies curriculum enhancement is a pre-cursor to the overall Asatizah development plan – based on the 10 COFA⁴ recommendations - that MUIS is embarking together with the various religious institutions in Singapore.

4. Madrasah Aljunied became an IB candidate school in September 2016 and was authorised to be an IB World School and conduct the IBDP in October 2018. A total of nine teachers were selected and trained to teach the IBDP. In addition, one CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) coordinator was also deployed to further strengthen the implementation of the programme at the Madrasah.

5. The subjects that have been offered to students include Malay Language A, Arabic Language B, English Language B, Global Politics, Environmental Systems and Societies, Chemistry, Maths Studies and Mathematics in addition to the three IB core components⁵. These subjects were selected as they complemented the Islamic Studies subjects.

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

¹ A Bilingual Diploma is awarded to candidates who fullfil one or more of the following criteria:

• complete and receive a grade 3 or higher in two languages selected from the DP course studies in language and literature;

• complete one of the subjects from the individuals and societies, or sciences subject groups in a language that is not the same as the candidate's nominated studies in language and literature language;

• attain a grade 3 or higher in both the studies in language and literature language and the subject from individuals and societies, or sciences subject groups.

² Fiqh Studies, Aqidah Studies, Hadith Sciences, Quranic Sciences, Arabic Language, Islam & Society and Islamic History

³ Azhar-IB track refers to the Islamic studies course at Madrasah Aljunied that allows students to sit for both Azhar and IBDP curricula at the Aliyah programme

⁴ COFA is the Committee of Future Asatizah chaired by Dr Maliki Osman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs

⁵ Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)