Aden Ali Abdi

The Practice of Integration, Islamic and Secular Education: the Practice of Integration, Islamic and Secular Education: Harmony in Dichotomy Aden Ali Abdi

This book interrogates the contemporary practice of Integrating Islamic and secular education among Muslim dominated areas in Kenya. Integration of Islamic and secular education is a popular phenomenon in Garissa sub-county as a response to demand for Islamic education to satisfy religious needs and demand. The high Muslim population in Garissa sub-county was an overarching driver of demand for integrated education. Muslim parents wanted their children to attain both secular and Islamic education. Parents sought integrated education to reduce the amount of time their children spent moving between three institutions: primary school, madrassa and Duksi from which they sought both secular and Islamic education. The school in this study adapted a bi-functional model of integration where both a madrassa providing Islamic education and a primary school providing secular education co-existed as one institution but operating independently. However, secular dominated Islamic education in this arrangement hence the need for a balanced curriculum that would give adequate attention to both religious and secular education so as to adequately cater for needs of both types education.