Much has been written and said about certain religious institutes in the Kingdom. Their students are at an extreme disadvantage as they are denied the opportunity to compete for jobs and, at the same time, cannot pursue higher studies.
The majority of these institutes are affiliated to Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. They have never been part of the general education system under the Ministry of Education and it is because of this that the controversy surrounding them has arisen. Given the kind of education they receive, the students graduating from these institutes venture into life with no guarantee they will get jobs or be allowed an academic career.
Calls have been heard for shifting jurisdiction over these institutes from the Imam University to the Ministry of Education as a solution to the problem. In my view, shifting the supervision while leaving the curriculum unchanged will never solve the problem. Such a step might end the problem of the teaching staff at these institutions by bringing them under the ministry. This is, however, a partial solution that would leave the main problem, that of the students themselves, unresolved. It is the students who continue to suffer most under the prevailing system.
The solution lies in abolishing these institutes altogether and enrolling their students in the public education system by taking them into intermediate and secondary schools. Such a step would put an end to the duplicity prevailing in our public education system; all should be brought under the same umbrella, that of the Ministry of Education.
Imam University should focus on the academic mission it has been entrusted to fulfill. It is time for it to relieve itself of the heavy burden of looking after large numbers of religious institutes. The number of preachers, muftis and judges should be proportional to the population, not exceeding what is actually needed to serve society. The Holy Qur’an assures us that this is correct. We live in a time in which changes are taking place so rapidly and where education and knowledge continue to undergo such radical changes that many find it difficult to keep up with them. It is time we made ourselves able to keep up with them.
