islamic faith schools-divisive?

[nishom]

What are your views on faith schools?

Do you think that they are divisive by causing divisions between people?

Personally, i would try to improve state schools by improving the deliverance of religious education, employing more teachers qualified to teach religion (eg/imams and priests), have more choice in the national curriculum (eg?learning arabic and urdu etc), and proviting better facilitis for pupils such as prayer rooms, washing facilities, and halal meals. I would this without outlawing faith schools as i feel they provide parents with more choice in the type of education they want their children to receive, as well a providing a good environment to learn in and producing excellent results. Improvenments need to be made to both types of school, the solution is not to outlaw one.

However, many feel that faith schools only serve to cause divisions between people from a very young age. They argue that if we want people to understand more about Islam and Muslims, its important that our children are in the same classrooms as them, engaging with peole from different backgrounds, learning more about their faiths and serving therefore to enrich the atmosphere. However, for me, just being in a classroom with pupils from diferent backgrounds will not better understanding. Furthermore being taught Islam by someone not qualified to teach it will only add to misconceptions. Islamic scholls provide the opportunity for pupils to learn in a purposeful environment by qualified Islamic scholars so that any misconceptions are cleared.Pupils also receive education in National Curriculum subjects,doing better than average than state schools.. Thus pupils are getting the best of both world.

With regards to Girls schools, many feel they not only cause divisions between Muslims and non Muslims but also they mean that when these girls get out of school, they would not be used to interacting with members of the opposite sex, which is essential in the workplace. Poppycock!!!! The grils are in school from 9-3, not all day every day. Just because
they go to a all-girls school does not mean that they do not interact with mambers of the opposite sex. Rather, this interaction is based on what is essential, i.e-to do with their education, development and careers-Not interaction if it is taken to mean intermingling which means that their minds are not fully focussed on their education.