Curriculum Integration and Islamic Studies in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects
Curriculum Integration and Islamic Studies in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects
Curriculum Integration and Islamic Studies in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects
Abstract
In Islam, knowledge is conceived to be universal and not limited to any
area as the noble Qur’ān touches all aspects of human life. It is an
indispensable tool for the growth and development of an individual in
the society. This is why Islamic Studies is noted to be a discipline that
embraces within itself all other disciplines. However, the curriculum
of this subject is inadequate. Thus, the aim of this paper is to study the
curriculum of Islamic Studies at the Tertiary Institution of education in
the country. Grounded in phenomenological and content analytical
framework, this paper examines the challenges facing the curriculum
of Islamic Studies in the Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. It is discovered
that the subject is becoming secondary for the students to pursue as a
career. With a view to having all-encompassing curriculum for the
production of all-in-one Islamic Studies graduates and graduates of
other courses well-grounded in Islamic perspectives relating to their
field, the paper suggests curriculum integration as an alternative
therapy to the challenges facing the subject and its graduates in
Nigerian Society.
Conceptual Analysis
In order to have proper understanding of the concepts that are connected with
this study, it is pertinent to briefly explain the following concepts: Education,
Curriculum, Islamic Studies Curriculum integration and Integrated Islamic Curriculum.
Education: The word ‘education’ was derived from a latin word ‘educare,
educere,educo and education (Wikipedia, 2015). With regard to ‘educare’ it means ‘to
rear or bring up’ while ‘educere’ means ‘to lead out and train’ and ‘educo’ means to
educe or draw out or train and ‘educatio’ means breeding, bringing up or rearing. From
these etymological analyses, it means education has to do with child rearing or
upbringing. It has however been viewed by various scholars in different ways because
of their different perspectives. According to World Bank Encyclopedia (1992), it is the
ways in which people learn skill, gain knowledge and understanding about the world
and themselves. It can also be viewed, according to Fafunwa (1974 as quoted in NTI)
Curriculum: This word stems from a latin word ‘Currere’ meaning ‘to run or to
proceed’. According to Online Etymology Dictionary (2001), the word curriculum as a
noun is also a latin word which means ‘a running, course, career’. In the context of
education, it will be appropriate to view it as course of learning or a plan for learning.
According to Offorma (2006), it is an instrument by means of which school seek to
translate the hopes of the society in which they function into concrete reality. In the
opinion of Taba (1962), it is a planned learning activity for students, ran and monitored
by schools in order to achieve its educational goals. Thus, it can be said that curriculum
is not only covering learning plan but also all forms of knowledge and activities to be
experienced by the students in the school system either formally or informally
according to the level of the learners.
Islamic Studies: This is a subject through which everything about the religion of Islam
can be learnt and taught. According to Oloyede (2012), Islamic studies is viewed as a
terminology that is used to describe an aspect of theological sciences which seeks to
influence natural, human and social science in their service to God and humanity from
the prison of Islamic Credo. It is also viewed, according to Wikipedia (2015) as the
umbrella for the Islamic Sciences (‘Ulūm al-din), originally researched and as defined
by the Islamization of knowledge. It includes all the traditional forms of religious
thought such as kalam (Islamic Theology) and Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and also
incorporates field generally considered secular in the West such as Islamic Sciences
and Islamic economics. It is also referred, according to Usman Andi (n.d), generally to
the historical study of Islam which includes Islamic civilization, Islamic history and
historiography, Islamic law, Islamic theology and Islamic philosophy.
Therefore, Islamic studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the
diverse range of experiences.
Curriculum integration: Integration is a process of combining or accumulating two or
more things so as to work together (Hornby, 2000). Therefore, curriculum integration is
a process of combining two or more curriculum together to achieve better goals. It is
also viewed as a pedagogical approach to help students build a small set of powerful,
broadly applicable skills and abilities instead of a large set of weak and narrow abilities
and skills. In addition, it is a teaching approach that helps students builds connection
across disciplines (Brazee, 1995).
a. Attitude of the School Management and the Government: In most cases, the
reactions of both the government and school management are not encouraging. There is
no motivation for the students in terms of scholarship as it is done for students in other
courses except private or organizational scholarship. Also, the subject or course is
placed under religious studies in most of the universities and does not stand
independently, thereby preventing the achievement of its aims and objectives,
meanwhile, some universities do not offer it as a special course except as a mixed
The above discussed issues are some of the problems facing the curriculum of
Islamic studies in Nigerian Tertiary Institution.
Conclusion
The trends of development in the contemporary world have put a difficult task
on the shoulders of experts in Islamic studies to produce an all-in-one Islamic Studies
Graduatesthat will be able to face the contemporary challenges. This has called for a
new dawn in the curriculum of IslamicStudies in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions termed
as Integrated Islamic Curriculum. This study has discussed the challenges facing
Islamic Studies Curriculum in Nigeria among which are attitude of the government,
lecturers and students towards Islamic studies as a course, poor background in Arabic
language by lecturers and students, inadequate instructional material among others.
In the light of the above, the paper strongly recommend that the IslamicPrivate
Universities should take the bull by its horns by setting in measures to avail the Muslim
Ummah of the contemporary challenge of producing an all-in-one Islamic Studies
Graduates from an inadequate curriculum that was designed with a limited approach to
Islamic views of knowledge. The Islamicists in the country should come together to
adjust the inadequacy of the current curriculum and think forward to how integrated
Islamic curriculum can become a reality.
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