Q: Does the Ta’limi Board prefer us teaching the Yassarnal Qur-aan or the Towards reading the Qur-aan?
A: The Ta’limi Board (KZN) generally encourages the teaching of the Yassarnal Qur-aan. However it does not discourage anyone who is teaching the ‘Towards reading the Qur-aan’ or any other qaidah, provided the Mu’allim/ah has mastered the art of teaching it. If any mu’allim/ah is teaching it well and the children are coping with it, then there is no problem in teaching it. The main purpose of any qaidah/primer is to get a child into Qur-aan.
Q: Should the Qur-aan lessons be written on the board?
A: In grades one to four, Qaidah/Qur-aan lessons should be first written on the board. Pupils must first be taught from the board. Thereafter they should be made to read from the Qur-aan.
Q: Is it necessary for the teachers to write the lessons on the board for grades 5-7?
A: Only one aayat or about five lines should be written on the board. Thereafter the rest of the sabak should be taught from the Qur-aan Shareef directly.
Q: Is it necessary to group the children for Qur-aan or is it okay to have them on individual lessons?
A: It is extremely essential to group the children in each grade. In order to improve Qur-aan recitation, one will have to have all the children in one group.
Q: What if all the pupils cannot manage being in one group? At times some learners do not have the capability to all be in one group.
A: Ideal would be to have all the children in one group. However at times you may have a few or many weak learners in the class. In that case the class could be broken up into two groups. One with the fast learners and the other with the slow learners. However the goal must be to slowly wean off the slow learners and join them into the A group with the fast learners.
Q: I have only one weak learner in my class. What should I do with him?
A: Such a child could be made to learn at his/her own pace. You do not have to keep him/her in the same group.
Q: I want to bring my grade 5 learners in a group but they are all in different sabaks. Some are in 5th para, some in 10th para, some in 20th para. What should I do in such a case? Can I bring them all to one level.
A: There is no problem to bring learners ahead or putting them behind. However if you are going to put any learner behind, first inform the parents that you will be putting him/her back and the reason for doing so. Explain to them the need to read with tajweed and how this system will help their child. Many parents will understand after they are properly explained.
Q: At times parents complain that their child has the potential of moving ahead. They insist that we should push them forward rather than sticking to the sylaabus. What should we do in such a situation?
A: It is best to ask someone senior person at your Madrasah to set up a parents meeting and discuss this issue with them. Explain to them that a structure for Madrasah ta’leem has been put in place and every child has to follow that structure even though they may have the potential to move much faster than the rest of the class. The situation is the same at school. If a child is in grade one and has the potential of doing grade three work, the parent will not go to the school and insist that the child must commence the next years work because he/she has the capability. They will have to follow the syllabus and the curriculum that the school has layed out. In the same manner at Madrasah a curriculum has been designed for each grade and learners will have to follow the designed curriculum.
Qur-aan teaching takes lots of effort and skill. Insha Allah if the teachers focus themselves correctly they will be able to improve the Qur-aan recitation. The greatest joy for a maktab teacher is to see his/her pupils reciting Qur-aan correctly. Comparatively other subjects are much easier to teach and can be rectified very easily. Improving Qur-aan recitation is a long arduous task which takes much tact, effort and dua. However the reward is indeed very great in the sight of Allah Ta’ala.