THE Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG) has urged Muslims to place importance on secular education by taking advantage of the various government initiatives on education in the country to massively enrol their wards in school.
The Northern Regional President of FOMWAG, Hajia Hamada Telly mentioned the capitation grant, the school feeding programme and the promise by President Mills to offer free uniforms to pupils as some of the initiatives that should be taken advantage of by Muslim parents and guardians to send their wards to school.
She was speaking at a two-day workshop on the significance of secular education in Muslim communities in Tamale.
“The importance of education to individuals’ development is significant; education must, therefore, be acquired by all irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity or religion,” she emphasised.
Hajia Telly also reminded Muslims on the call by Prophet Mohammed to seek knowledge no matter the distance, noting that, there was no better time to acquire knowledge than now when the world had become a global village.
She further observed that, most Muslim parents were still reluctant to send their children to school, adding “those who have their children in school are not supporting them to aspire higher.”
Among the topics discussed were the importance of secular education to the Muslim child, the right and responsibility of the Muslim child and the role of the Muslim parent in child upbringing. The workshop was supported by ActionAid Ghana.
Hajia Telly underlined the major aims and objectives of FOMWAG which are serving as mouth piece of members, liaising between Muslim women and government as well as educate and enhance knowledge of Muslim women on Islam.
A lecturer at the Tamale polytechnic, Alhaji Mohammed Ghazali said the notion that the benefits of secular education were only meant to be enjoyed on earth while Islamic knowledge was the only source of salvation that could lead one to heaven, had been misconstrued.
The Director of the Centre for Multi Disciplinary Research, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Alhaji Ahmad Tajuddeen Saeed spoke on the rights and responsibilities of the Muslim child.
He said a child was a blessing from God given to couples and that it was the responsibility of parents to take proper care of the child including their provision of education for them.
Alhaji Saeed urged the leadership of FOMWAG to help establish a strategic plan to gather data on educated Muslim women in the country.
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