THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF ARABIC STUDIES IN NIGERIAN EDUCATION

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1 THE ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF ARABIC STUDIES IN NIGERIAN EDUCATION Azeez Jamiu Adebayo Department of Arabic Studies, Osun State College of Education, Ilesa. Osun State, Nigeria ABSTRACT Arabic Language in many respects is the classical language of West Africa. It is a language that has contributed not only to the development of Islam but also to all affairs found in human s life. As Islam reached the Savannah region of West African countries in centuries back, this language served as the language used to document the history of West Africa. This could establish the fact that people study Arabic because of Islam even if the aims and objectives go beyond that perception. There is the need to map-out various strategies to improve Arabic studies in our educational system in Nigeria especially by the stakeholders. This study aims at suggesting ways of improving Arabic studies in Nigeria. A total of eighty stakeholders, including the educational planners, curriculum designers and teachers constituted the samples. Findings from the study revealed the need for improvement of the status of Arabic in the National Policy on Education. Recommendations generated from the study will be of immense benefit to the stakeholders in the process of improving the status of Arabic in Nigeria. Area of Research: Arabic Education, Educational Planners. 1. Introduction The importance attached to the study of Arabic language gives it a total recognition even if some see it as the language of a certain religion (Islam). To be candid, it is the language of divine communication between the Creator and creatures. It is the language which helped the spread of Islam. (Ogunbiyi, 1988) declares that the spread of the religion of Islam beyond the confines of the Arabian peninsula after the death of the Prophet of Islam in 632 A.D. went hand in hand with the spread of the Arabic Language which was the language of the Qur an and the language of the five canonical daily Muslim salat (prayer) 1. Arabic is recognized by people as the language of people of the Paradise. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) encourages the study and learning of Arabic, he says; learn Arabic because of three things: one, that I am an Arab i.e. Arabic is Prophet Muhammad s language, two, Arabic is the language which the Qur;an is revealed, three, Arabic is the language to be spoken by the people of the Paradise (al-janat). Malik (1980) says that many languages spoken in the world have relationship with Arabic, Yoruba and Hausa are good examples 2, Arabic has also enriched African languages with hundreds of religious, political and commercial words and expressions. Examples are some Arabic words reflecting in Yoruba or Hausa words which give the same meaning either in Arabic, Yoruba or Hausa usages e.g. kāfiru = keferi i.e. unbeliever, s-sammāu= s-samma i.e. sky, salamun alaikum= salamoleku= greeting, and so on. In discussing Arabic language in Nigerian society, what is known is that Nigeria does not has a well-articulated and explicit national language policy that can be found in one document but it is also a common knowledge that Nigeria does have a national policy for languages in education and, by default and implication, in the policy. This policy is, sometimes, explicitly and Organized by 127

2 sometimes obliquely, stated in sections of the National Policy on Education on Nigerian education system i.e. in The Federal Republic of Nigeria: National Policy on Education, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information.1977, revised 1981,where the policy provides for selected foreign languages especially, French and Arabic, as the language of International communication and discourse. 1 Yusuf (2008) observes that Arabic is a language and medium of instruction in educational processes. He holds that the language has been in the main stream of literary development as far back as 600 years back, then the system is popularly known as Quranic system of education 2, but the system of instruction was informal under the tutelage of Ulama or Mallams, scholars who specialized in religious learning and teaching popularly known as Quranic system of education. This Quranic system of education has been in existence ever the advent of British colonial rule, not only in the Northern part of Nigeria but also in some South Western part of the nation as it has been affirmed and re-affirmed that Arabic has contributed tremendously to the world civilization in general and to the development of and documentation of history of Africa, paticularly as declared by Lawal (2008 but cited by Yusuf 2008). 1 Yusuf (2008) 2 also argues that due to the standard and acceptability of the language by majority of the people, it was adopted as an official language of the Sokoto Caliphate, the empire which later spread to Nupe and Yorubaland. To achieve what Arabic language would provide in the nation, the need to improve its standard should be the major concern of the stakeholders of Arabic language so that both the learners and the tutors would be more interested in it as it will also assist to realize its great achievement played in centuries back especially in the area of documentation of knowledge and commercial transactions. It would then be pertinent to declare that if the study of Arabic is improved by the stakeholders, there will be increase in the enrolment of the learners as many other advantages would be gained from Arabic language. At this juncture, the stakeholders, the government, and the concerned authority should play their own part to make the goal achievable. 2. Arabic Language in Nigeria Arabic, like other fields of study is dying from the lukewarm attitude of the tutor and the learners to its knowledge. This is in particular with Arabic as people see it as just a field to be handled only in the Masajid or madaris l arabiyyah, and that, it only belong to the Arabs and the Muslims alone; and that it does not contribute anything to this nation Nigeria. It is of course a language like other foreign languages which was earlier established in the Northern part of Nigeria and served as the official language of instruction in the north. The teaching and learning of this language in Nigeria should be improved upon because of its great contributions and numerous advantages that can be derived from it. Being a language of expression as well as one of the official languages recognized in the world today like English and French, it is necessary that all the citizen of any nation should at least acquire it as a requirement tool for proper understanding of the message of Qur an. Arabic language, despite the truth that it has a significant impact on all aspects of life in West Africa, Nigeria inclusive, its progress has been negatively seen due to the negative attitude of government and some other authorities towards Islam whereas, it is the language through which Muslims all over the world communicate with Allah in their spiritual life and through which they worship their God, as it is also the language of Qur an. Therefore, Balogun (2008) states that it is a language that fosters unity and uniformity among Muslims all over the world Arabic Language and Education in Nigeria Going by the history of education in Nigeria, before the advent of Christian missionaries, Arabic had been in the main stream of literary development. it had also been used as the language of administration in the Northern part of Nigeria. Organized by 128

3 Historically, according to Ayuba (2012), Arabic is the oldest foreign language in Nigeria today. The reason is that its entry into the country is dated back to the seventh century of the Christian era and the first century of Hijirah calendar. Centuries before the advent of the Europeans in Nigeria, Arabic had been used for religious, social and cultural purposes. In recognition of its significance, Arabic has been introduced into the Nigerian education curriculum as an academic discipline; even if its institutionalization started in the mosque everywhere Islam established, Nigeria inclusive. The analysis made by a former Governor of Kano State, Mallam Shekarau as stated by Yusuf (2008) is an attempt to address the imbalance of education between the North and South and to wash away costly insult passed on the people of North, and the backwardness attributed to Arabic and Islamic Studies. He was reported to have said: Western education has only existed in the country for 100 years. Quranic system of education has been in existence in the north 600 years. What this meant is that the North and part of South (Yoruba land) had long known education before the introduction of the Western education system, and with many Northerners having received Quranic education; it would therefore be erroneous to say the North is lagging behind educationally. 1 The analysis made by Mallam Shekarau indicates that to be literate is not all about the acquisition of Western education; and it would be wrong for anyone to use the Western education system to measure literacy in Nigeria especially in the North and South. Busari (2002) emphasizes that Arabic language is represented by the Qura n in the early centuries of Islam. At the time, there were developments in Arabic grammar, lexicography, phonetics and history, which stemmed directly from religion and aesthetic appreciation. It should be noted that in modern time the importance of Arabic as a language transcends the religious sphere as universal character in the 9 th and 10 th centuries which was accompanied by an enormous literacy output. 2 Also, Yusuf (2008) cites the statement quoted by Lawal (2008) drawn from the statement of Professor K.O Dike that the authentic history of Nigeria has been seen to be drawn from abundant Arabic historical documents at our disposal. He declares: It is through their work on the enormous of Arabic materials in Archives and libraries both public and private, that we. shall be able to put together a coherent picture of Northern 1 It is pertinent to mention that acquisition of Arabic education makes one a literate since it achieves those educational goals irrespective of the curriculum, methods and organization designed for the purpose. Fafunwa (1974) declares that education is the aggregate of all the processes by which a child or young adult develops the abilities, attitudes and other forms of behavior which are of positive value to the society in which he lives. 2 In other words, it is a process of transmitting culture in terms of continuity and growth and for disseminating knowledge either to ensure social control or to guarantee rational direction of the society or both. As a language brought along by Islamic religion, Arabic has great influence on African education. The documented materials on knowledge like history, science, mathematics, literature, and so on were documented with Arabic language before the advent of colonial rule. These were done through the spread of Islam and Islamic education. Fafunwa & Aisiku (1982) say wherever Islam has spread rudimentary knowledge of the Qur an, the Hadith and the Shariah are still taught to its followers. He buttressed this with a tradition of Prophet Muhammad that says: the best man among you is one who learns Qur an and then cares to teach it 1 Apart from being a language of religion, it also plays an important role as a language of communication, commerce and trade not only among the local traders but also in places where Arabic language is spoken. In addition to the scholarly role it has played, it serves as language of national development, security, education and communication. Organized by 129

4 4. The Roles of Stakeholders in the Improvement of the Arabic Language Stakeholders are considered to be the leaders in their respective areas of concentration. They include those in education, religion, politics and those in other administrative positions. Looking at the position of Arabic studies in this environment and the attitude of people towards it, we are forced to compare where we were to where we are to see its past and confirm its tomorrow. Otuniyi (2006) says that despite the rich content of the curriculum, Arabic is characterized by lopsidedness. This is because courses are offered only in the linguistic area of studies to the detriment of social sciences. It is now the role of the stakeholders to revisit the curriculum because the graduate of Arabic hardly is absorbed into employment outside the teaching profession so that other areas of study like Arabic sciences and humanity are to be included in the revisit curriculum. Stakeholders like the government, the curriculum planners, the Kataatib/ Madaris, the Mallams/ Alfas and the National Policy on Education as well as other educational institutions are expected to play their effective roles in the improvement of the study of Arabic. The government should look into the contributions of Arabic language in the area of documentation of knowledge and should give a foresight to the roles played by this language in the past by promoting a mutual relationship between the people of Nigeria and those of others Arabic speaking countries especially in the area of business and religion. Besides, the government is expected to promote the immersion programme organized for the learners of Arabic like other languages by allowing the learners travel to the Arab world with necessary provisions. It is the duty of the government to see that standard language laboratories are built in all institutions where Arabic is taught and they should be equipped with adequate and updated facilities as this will help in promoting the learning of phonetics and phonology or enhance the linguistic ability of the students. The curriculum planners are expected to stipulate what to be taught on Arabic in all levels of schools and make it a required subject in the subsequent edition of as basic needs of Arabic and its recognition. The Mallams /Alfas as grand stakeholders should make use of the modern trends in teaching such as the use of hardware and software and the digital technologies to improve the status of Arabic language in schools. In addition to these is the effective use of instructional materials by the Mallams and Alfas and those teaching the students Arabic language either in public or private local schools so as to improve the teaching. 5. Conclusion and Recommendations Having discussed how to improve the study of Arabic in Nigerian education system through a consideration of the roles of stakeholders, the following suggestions are made to enhance effective study of Arabic in Nigeria. The government should help to provide relevant textbooks and other teaching aids like the audio visual aids for schools where Arabic language is taught. Also the government or other relevant stakeholders are advised to help by providing facilities like language laboratory teaching projectors and even some valuable aids for those institutions where Arabic is being taught. In the area of curriculum, there is the need for restricting in such a way that the status of Arabic will be enhanced. The teacher on his part should ensure effective teaching and learning as this will readily motivate the learners. Finally, the government at the state and national levels should establish special Arabic language schools where students can study for specialization in Arabic. Organized by 130

5 References Ayuba, M. A. (2012).The Arabic language: its relevance to Nigerian development. ejournallog,vol 8. No 26 Balogun K.Y [2008]. The role of Arabic language in the revised Universal Basic Education Programme in Nigeria.A paper presented at the 2 nd National Conference of the school of language, held at MOCPED,Noforija-Epe,Lagos. Busari, K.K[2002].Tackling the challenges of teaching Arabic in Nigeria. handbook Arabic and Islamic studies. Vol 2. Islamic cultural centre, Ede Fafunwa A.B. (1974). History of Education in Nigeria. George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Great Britain. Fafunwa Babs & Aisiku, J.U. (1982). Education in Africa: A Comparative survey George Allen and Unwin Publisher, U.K. Lawal, A.I. (2008). Of a Tongue and its numerous Faces The story of Arabic in Nigeria. A paper cited by Yusuf (2008) in the relevance of Arabic to Education and History in Nigeria MOCPED, Noforija, Lagos. Ogunbiyi, I. A. (1988). Arabic Yoruba translation of the Quran in the Yoruba speaking area of Nigeria. Journal of Arabic and religious studies Vol. 5 Otuniyi A.K.T Arabic Education in Nigeria; modern trends and recurrent issues. Religious Educator Vol. 9 No 1. Malik, S.H.A. (1980). Towards the improvements of the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language. Al- Fiqir Vol 1 No 1 Yusuf, T.O. (2008): Relevance of Arabic to Education and History in Nigeria. A paper Presentedat 2 nd National conference of school of languages, MOCPED, Noforija Lagos. The Federal Republic of Nigeria: National Policy on Education, Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information.1977, revised 1981 Organized by 131