Problems of Arabic colleges in Sri Lanka

-by OMER MUKHTAR-

      Arabic colleges have been providing a wonderful service for Muslim community for many decades. In the past, Sri Lankan Muslim boys used to go to India or some foreign countries to learn Islam and today, al-Hamdu lillha. We have more than 300 hundred Arabic colleges in Sri Lanka. This includes boys and girl colleges. No one should belittle or undermine the service these Arabic colleges that provide to Muslim community.

   Today we have more than 2000 mosques, Muslim schools, many Islamic centre, and dawa centres. Graduates of Arabic college are working in those institutions. I know well Islamic scholars and teachers who work in Arabic colleges are working with dedication and sacrifice. They only work for the sake of Allah sometimes, without basic needs and facilities. They work without any employment right such as pension or EPF or any other employment rights and still they produce some talents clerics. 

     some good and kind hearted wealthy Muslim people spend a lot of money in Arabic colleges. Of course, some of them get foreign aids and help but most of Arabic colleges are locally funded. It is estimated that more than 200 million or more rupees are spent on Arabic college annually from the local collection alone. It may go up or down. There is no systematic research or statistics on the finance of fiscal aspect of Arabic colleges. Yet one fact is true that millions of rupees from Muslim community is spent on Arabic colleges. 

    Today Arabic colleges are mushrooming each and every corner of Sri Lanka. each group has got its own Arabic colleges. Sometime each other competing to get students. Some of villages have more than two Arabic colleges and some compete each other in collecting fund too. 

    Some of these Arabic colleges do not have proper syllabus, trained teachers, basic library, books, basic facilities such as hostels and good class rooms. The syllabi, curriculums of some Arabic colleges are outdated, still they teach Arabic in old style, Islamic laws in old traditional ways, Quranic exegesis in old fashion.

       some of them still have dress code of old days. Moreover, some of these Arabic colleges teach only Islamic sciences alone without any basic understanding the world around them. If I list, the problems of Arabic colleges today in Sri Lanka it will exceed hundreds of problems. it is not my intention here but, my purpose of writing this article is to draw attention of our community leaders to this issue.

     Our Arabic colleges are badly in need of radical reformation in many areas. It is responsibilities of all Muslim leaders today, politicians, religious leaders. Professionals, academics and rich people to make some reformations into Arabic colleges. 

          There must be a centralised system to run and administrate Arabic colleges in Sri Lanka under one umbrella organization as Sri Lankan Universities has got UGC. There must be one centralised modern syllabus, examination system to all Arabic colleges, All Arabic college students should have access to higher education in our national universities.

          Arabic college finance and fund collection need some radical changes as well, Arabic college teachers should have all facilities and training. As a second minority community in Sri Lanka it would not be easy to do all this without government support and help. so, we may consider some systems whereby, we can incorporate our Arabic colleges into national education system. 

          We need a systemization and re-structuration of Arabic colleges into some Islamic universities or some big institutions across the country. I mean we need to reduce these 300 Arabic colleges into 30 Arabic colleges: 10 colleges for girl and 20 Arabic colleges for boys. Each district can have one for boys and one for girls except some districts in accordance with Muslim population density.

         all these 30 Arabic colleges should have same syllabus and same examinations. All Arabic college students should aim to go to national universities or to do some external degrees.

         Different ideological groups may disagree to this and yet, the main scream Muslim community can do this. before we do this we need to have a team of good academics and intellectuals who can do a field research on this issue.

       I think that students of Islamic studies should do some research into this area. or Muslim intellectuals should organise some good conferences to educate our community leaders, clerics and wealth Muslims who fund these Arabic colleges. Otherwise,  we will be going back into dark age while this modern world is moving fast leaving behind us.