Individualizing English instruction at Islamic colleges

Individualizing English instruction at Islamic colleges

By Besral

BANDUNG (JP): For over 30 years, English teaching in the State
Institutes for Islamic Studies (IAIN) has been carried out
differently. This is reflected by the different English curricula
of IAIN Yogyakarta, IAIN Jakarta and similar colleges in Sumatra
and Kalimantan. No wonder that their graduates vary greatly from
one region to another.

Only recently have efforts to create a national curriculum
been made. Last year the ministry of religious affairs under
former minister Tarmizi Taher managed to publish Core Topics of
the National Curriculum. The message was to make similar the
vision and mission among Islamic institutes or universities
regarding the teaching of English in the country. It states that
the general objective is to build and develop oral and written
communicative competence in the academic world or in daily life.

Such an objective sounds promising. However, a look at 44
topics offered in the curriculum suggests that its designer
lacked a clear vision, or even might have lost direction. Roughly
speaking, the curriculum just lists some 44 topics of English
grammar and 36 readings. What does it mean?

Once an old friend, a quite senior English lecturer at one
IAIN, responded to a question on how he had implemented the new
curriculum. "Well, I just followed what the curriculum says. But
I planned to teach grammar as much as possible until mid
semester, and then, I would give them (the students) reading
comprehension", he said. He seemed to be unable to improvise in
order to develop the curriculum so that teaching would be
beneficial for both the lecturer and students. He not only broke
the communicative teaching principles, but also misled the
English for Special Purposes (ESP) mission.

It would not be surprising if the description of teaching
English by the above lecturer is typical of others at Islamic
higher education institutions.

Since the present curriculum lists little material in English
grammar and necessitates unclear reading programs, it raises
burning issues in terms of pedagogical perspectives. Firstly, the
predominant grammar instruction in the entire program would bore
the students and, ultimately, would not enhance them with several
basic skills, such as understanding, translating, writing and
speaking.

Secondly, the use of books, such as those by LG Alexander, for
reading materials, the main handbook of the English department
students, will likely deviate the objectives of English teaching
at the Islamic higher education institutions.

Such students are not prepared to be English teachers in the
future, rather, they are expected to deal with English
literature, to communicate in English, and so forth.

Thirdly, the first and the second factors show that the
teaching process is still far from the principles of integrated
skills which have been promoted in the last 25 years.

Policy makers should be aware of the following observations:

* The instructional program at higher level is not a
repetition of that in the secondary levels. Any instructional
program should be up-to-date to capture students' thoughts and
imaginations. The program should be viewed as the development,
cultivation and extension of the lower one.

* Reading programs should facilitate students to recognize
their specific subject areas. At State Institutes for Islamic
Studies, some well known books of Muslim philosophers should be
recommended.

* Vocabulary enrichment should be encouraged to achieve an
appropriate level in which students are supposed to speak and
write well.

Only then can English instruction at Islamic higher education
institutions be realized, provided that all are open minded to
changes.

The writer teaches at the Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN)
Imam Bonjol in Padang, and is a graduate student of Bandung's
Teacher Training College.