CIPK urges schools to respect timings and allow madrasa learning

The Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) has called on schools to strictly adhere to the official timetable issued by the Ministry of Education and allow learners adequate time to participate in co-curricular and religious learning activities.

The Secretary General Sheikh Mohamed Dor said the growing trend by some schools to extend learning hours beyond the officially prescribed schedule was negatively affecting the holistic development of learners, particularly their spiritual wellbeing and participation in extracurricular activities.

Speaking on Tuesday May 12, at Allidina Visram Senior School in Mombasa, he emphasized that while academic excellence was important, schools must also respect the constitutional rights of learners to access religious education and participate in activities that contribute to their moral and spiritual growth.

He made the remarks after leading a delegation of council officials in presenting a formal protest to the school administration over its policies that prevented Muslim students from attending madrasa classes after school hours.

Parents had complained that the extended learning programme requiring students to remain in school until 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and also attend lessons on Saturdays conflicted with madrasa schedules and denied Muslim learners the opportunity to pursue essential religious education.

“Parents complained that the timings were making it difficult for students to attend madrasa classes during weekdays and Saturdays. Some learners who insisted on attending madrasa were threatened with disciplinary action,” said Sheikh Dor.

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Following discussions between CIPK officials and the school administration, the institution agreed to allow students attending madrasa to leave school earlier in order to participate in religious classes.

“We had a cordial meeting and are encouraged by the positive outcome of the discussions,” Sheikh Dor said. “However, we are still engaging the school administration to ensure that all students are released within the prescribed hours so they can participate in other important learning activities beyond academics,” he added.

He noted that education should focus not only on academic performance but also on producing morally upright, socially responsible, and spiritually grounded individuals.

Sheikh Dor further urged schools and education authorities to strike a balance between academic achievement and the overall wellbeing of learners, warning that excessive focus on classroom performance at the expense of other aspects of development could have long-term negative effects on students.

He pointed out that denying children access to madrasa learning weakens their spiritual foundation and undermines parents’ efforts to provide balanced upbringing.

According to the Basic Education Regulations gazetted on April 8, 2015, learning should take place strictly between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. during weekdays, while co-curricular activities such as games and clubs should run from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

For many Muslims, madrasa education remains an essential component in nurturing children’s moral character, spiritual values, and understanding of Islam. Madrasa classes are typically organised after regular school hours oandr during weekends to complement formal education without interfering with academic studies.