Labuan children study the Koran at Madrasah

Labuan children study the Koran at Madrasah

LABUAN, West Java (JP): The clock strikes 1 p.m. Dozens of
children flock into a decaying classroom at Madrasah Tunas
Bahari, an Islamic school in the fishing village of Teluk in
Labuan, about 160 kilometer west of Jakarta.

About 50 young pupils between five and seven are eagerly
waiting for Ustadz (religious teacher) Amin Mugmie to give them a
lesson in the Koran and Arabic.

Before the teacher arrives, some children recite Koranic
verses. A few minutes later, Mugmie comes and starts the lesson,
which lasts an hour.

"I realize that the time is too short, but I have to teach
four other classes. Each class gets only one hour," said the
teacher, who gets nothing for his services.

The school is divided into five grades and the lessons run
from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day including Sundays and holidays.
The lessons include Koran readings, An-nasyid (Islamic songs),
Arabic and moral teachings.

Madrasah Tunas Bahari is not the only Islamic school in the
Teluk neighborhood, but it is the only one that provides free
education for the 300 children of the village.

Located on a plot of land belonging to the Labuan fishery
agency, the school building is actually a kindergarten.

"But the building is empty after 11 a.m.," said Mugmie.

The school has had more than a thousand students since its
establishment in l989. "Many of them continue their studies in
more advanced Islamic schools in Labuan, Serang and Pandeglang,
while the others are now helping me teach younger kids," Mugmie
said.

"Basically, most children here feel enthusiastic about
attending this school, but get no support from their parents.
They come here on their own initiative," Mugmie added.

In this village, boys are expected to help their fathers with
the fish, while girls are needed by their mothers to look after
their younger siblings and run the household.

When he first came to the village, he found no children
attending Koran reading lessons. After school, all the children
would hang around on the beach or in the fish market until late
at night, he recalled.

Their parents didn't really care what they got up to, nor did
they ask about school, let alone help their kids with homework,
he said.

"These children got into the village's night life -- gambling,
alcohol," he said.

The gate to adult sex was also opened to them.

"Most of the houses here are very small. They have no
bedrooms. The children may watch their parents or others making
love. In many cases, two or three families live together in a
small dilapidated hut," said Mugmie.

Modern media have probably had a negative impact on the
children, he grumbled.

"Well-educated parents may control their children's TV hours.
But here, they are allowed to see all kinds of things," he said.

Although the Teluk fishermen live in decaying houses, modern
electronics such as TVs, radios, tape recorders and even
satellite dishes are common in the village.

It is still unclear whether the lifestyle of these people has
affected the marriage rate in the village. Young boys and girls
are already familiar with birth control such as pills and condoms
which are easily found in small kiosks.

"I was concerned to see these children growing up without
guidance from their parents. I'm trying the religious approach to
change their 'wild' lives," Mugmie said.

While reading the Koran, Mugmie explains the meaning of each
verse and its relevance to daily life. He also tells the children
stories about the Prophet Muhammad and other religious stories.

"I just want the children to understand good and bad, to live
their lives in accordance with Islamic teachings," Mugmie said.

Students, for instance, must take a bath and put on modest
clothes before attending school. "Before, these children rarely
washed. They only swam in the ocean," he said.

The children are also taught obligatory prayers five times a
day. "By praying, children are trained in discipline," he said.

Mugmie realizes that it is not an easy task to change local
children's habits. "Their parents are not role models for their
kids. How can we expect these children to pray if they never see
their parents do so?" Mugmie said.

Other obstacles also got in Mugmie's way. The majority of the
people here had previously rejected his idea of running the
school, but they could not dash Mugmie's desire to educate their
poor children. "It is my intention to improve their education
because the children badly need it for the future. Only God
knows," he said.

It seems Mugmie's efforts have borne sweet fruit.

He recalled how life used to be among local people. "In the
past, when a man died, nobody in the neighborhood could read the
Koran. The family of the deceased had to invite someone from
another village to recite the Koran," he said.

Now the children are doing well. They can read the Koran well
enough. The children are often invited to various religious
ceremonies to recite the Koran or to perform Islamic music and
songs, he said proudly.

Some parents have also started to pay more attention to their
children's activities. "Many of them have even learned from their
children how to perform shalat and read the Koran," he said.

Mugmie said that about 60 parents donate Rp 500/student a
month to buy chalk and books. "Thank God, they finally understand
the importance of their children's education."(raw)