3 Feb 2002 @ 10:47, by Flemming Leer Jakobsen
Today the conservative newspaper Berlingske Tidende puts spotlight on a issue with Muslim schools under a free school system using authorative pedagogics and hard line discipline to educate muslim school children.
The article also claims that the 2 schools are using censorship regarding issues
of friendship and love in 8th grade. These topics are non issues in at least one Muslim
school.
Traditionally the Danish government has been very restrictive in controlling
how the approx. $ 12 million spent annually on Muslim schools are used. The free school system is financed by the government. The lack of control
seems to have fostered a mentality based on segregation and isolation among
a minority of the Danish Muslims..
The newspaper has gained access to government papers based on right of access
to government documents. One of the documents states an example from a teacher
on a Copenhagen based school where she used a Danish newspaper Politiken after
the Kursk submarine incident. After that she was told at a teacher´s meeting
that the newspaper was jewish inspired because of a former editorial
head of the newspaper Herbert Pundik. Also it did not matter that some 100 people
died of suffocation because the Russians have inflicted much pain and death
on the Muslims. After that the school banned Danish newspapers in the lessons.
Creating a subculture
Danish Muslim children have no basic knowledge of Danish, English and
math
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The authorative pedagogics leaves the children without basic knowledge of Danish,
English and math. Also the children find it hard to do teamwork without the
presence of a teacher. Teamwork is a key concept in the Danish educational system
everywhere from the public schools up until the level of university and also
used widely in companies and at different levels of public administration. So
if the children are not taught the basic concepts of teamwork they will not
stand a chance of succeeding in the educational system and face the risk of
qualifying for none other than low paid jobs later on.
Berlingske Tidende describes an old fashioned reward system which they describe
as "candy pedagogics" where students behaving good in the opinion
of the teacher are giving candy. While students not knowing
the answers are corrected in a sort of like Marine sergeant way and thus breaking
students down. This leaves little room for understanding and certainly in Quran
lessons students should not ask questions but only recipher the texts.
Ethnic organization is appalled
A Danish ethnic organization called POEM is appaled by the claims put forward
in the article and is shocked the parents willingly let their children take
part is these ghettoschools. A type of school where seperation seems to be the
main objective.
The 2 schools in question Ibn-Sina Friskolen in Copenhagen and Aeraskolen in
Odense are facing the risk of losing the state subisidies of about approximately
$ 700,000 and $ 350,000 dollars respectively.
My view
I personally find it very odd that there seems to be a trend in segregation in
the Danish society and I think the cultural clash is eminent. But at the same
time cultural understanding is a key element in business schools. But also
it is common among students that they take a sabbatical year where they head off
to foreign countries in search of adventure and I believe that soon these combined
resources will be put into full effect.
After all, We are one.
No matter what skin or religion we have.
Scatter Joy
Article was posted here @ http://www.berlingske.dk/artikel156330.html (They
usually remove the article after a day)
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