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Madrasa students share what they learned with their community
Never Too Young to Learn
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Photo: Margaret Ngau, MKEZA
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“Young children can be the
best teachers of all,” said
Riziki, who is proud of the
things her daughter
Munawya has learned at her
madrasa. “They grasp ideas
quickly and immediately
want to pass what they have
learned on to others.”
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Munawya Abubakar Abdhakim is four years old and proudly
attends the Tuwa Mtoni Kigomeni Madrasa Preschool in
Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. Opened in 2004
with support from USAID, her school is a madrasa — a learning
institution that respects Muslim culture while promoting reading,
writing, math and analytical learning skills. Munawya’s mother,
Riziki, recently visited the school to meet with her daughter’s
teacher and, like mothers all over the world, the visit filled her
with praise and admiration for how much her little girl had
learned in a very short time and despite her tender age. Riziki
explained that her daughter is becoming surprisingly adept at
applying what she learned in school to real life situations.
One day Munawya came home from school and found her
mother cutting her fingernails with a razor blade. Munawya
asked if the razor was new. “Teacher Maryam has told us that
we must never collect used items like razor blades, needles,
nails, syringes and other similar sharp objects and use them
because we can get HIV/AIDS.” After finishing with her nails,
Riziki suggested she cut her daughter’s nails, but the little girl
refused unless her mother bought a new blade. Blushing
slightly as she relayed her story, Riziki admitted with a grin that
she had no recourse but to buy a new razor blade.
Riziki recalls many times that she heard her daughter tell other
children what she learned that day in school. “Wash your hands
before and after eating.” “Greet your parents warmly in the
morning.” “Don’t play in dirty water.”
Although Munawya cannot yet read or write, she can recite
stories, rhymes and poems and is learning to count. Riziki says
her only regret is that the preschool was not built in time for her
older son to attend it.
As a mother, Riziki insists that children who attend preschool
not only benefit from what they learn but are also encouraged
to share what they have learned with other children, parents
and members of the community.
Looking proudly at her daughter, Riziki said, “Do not think these
children are too young to learn and make a difference.”
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