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Madrasah Aljunied al-Islamiah

Madrasah Aljunied al-Islamiah, located at 30 Victoria Lane, is Singapore's premier Islamic institution of learning. Of international repute, the school boasts an illustrious alumni who are key Muslim leaders in Singapore as well as in Southeast Asia. Background A madrasah is an Islamic religious school. Currently, there are six full-time madrasahs in Singapore offering primary to tertiary education, Aljunied, al-Maarif al-Islamiah, Alsagoff al-Islamiah, al-Irsyad al-Islamiah, Wak Tanjong al-Islamiah and al-Arabiah al-Islamiah. All of them are private schools and do not receive funding from the government. Philanthropists had set up the madrasahs at the turn of the 20th century. Madrasah students are often distinguished by their uniform, which constitutes trousers, white long-sleeved shirts and songkok for the boys, and baju kurong and a jilbab or headscarf for the girls. Early Years Madrasah Aljunied is the second oldest Islamic school here after Madrasah Alsagoff (founded in 1912). It was founded by Syed Abdul Rahman Aljunied and built in 1927 on a Kampung Glam wakaf burial land that was started by prominent Arab businessman, Syed Omar Ali Aljunied. The first batch of students numbered only ten and were strictly boys. The school's premises consisted of a two-storey colonial-style building. The intake soon began to show students from neighbouring countries as well, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. In 1936, it began a post-study course to groom religious leaders, an early sign of what is to be the school's mission, the nurturing of Muslim leaders and teachers. The course, Kismut-takhassus Fil Wa'dzi wal Irsyad, was conducted by Assyeikh Abdurrahim Ibrahim Assamnudi from Egypt. In 1938, the madrasah started afternoon religious classes to cater to students attending government schools in the morning. Just before the war, in 1941, the school had its first rebuilding project to add more classrooms. The war caused sent many of the school's students and teachers to go back to their home town. When peace returned, the madrasah went on to take in more students until it became so cramped that some classes were held at the school hall. In the 1950s and 1960s, new subjects were introduced, including mathematics, geography, history and science. In 1991, a school redevelopment committee was formed to plan a modern building on the site of the old school. Funds were then collected from the Muslim community and non-Muslim well-wishers for the project. On 7 August 1996, teachers and students had their last activities at the Madrasah before saying prayers to mark the closure of the 70 year-old building. While waiting for their new school to be built on the same site, the teachers and students occupied the building of the former Language Centre of the Ministry of Education at Winstedt Road. They had to share this building with students of the Madrasah al-Irsyad who were relocated because their school building was also being redeveloped then. A New Chapter Just at the turn of the century, Madrasah Aljunied celebrated its 73rd anniversary with a new building built at a cost of S$12 million. The building symbolises the Madrasah's participation in the modern transformation of Singapore, but within it the foundations and traditions of an established and respected Islamic institution of learning remain strong. The new building was officially opened on 21 April 2000, the pride of the Singapore Malay-Muslim community who had laboured together to raise funds for the new building. Designed by DP Architects, it was completed in late 1998. Built over part of its original site in Victoria Street, it rises to five storeys and occupies 0.52 ha of land. The building incorporates traditional Islamic designs such as a central tiled open courtyard and domed roof with a crescent moon. It has 28 new classrooms that can accommodate up to 2000 students. Other facilities include a two storey library, a computer room with 30 terminals, science labs, art studios, street soccer court on its roof terrace, 250 seat theatre and a multi-purpose hall that can seat 500 people. The curricula of the madrasah is conspicuously biased towards religious subjects which take up 70 percent, leaving 30 percent to the teaching of secular subjects. This over-emphasis on religious disciplines is unlike the practice of other madrasahs, such as al-Maarif which puts equal emphasis on both religious and secular subjects. The rationale is Aljunied's dedication to churn outstanding Muslim scholars whose knowledge of Islam is par excellence. This can only be achieved with a meticulously-planned curricula that gives the widest exposure to Islamic subjects. It bodes well also for students who qualify to extend their studies to world-renowned Islamic institutions, like the al-Azhar University in Cairo and others in Saudi Arabia, admission to which requires at least fluent Arabic. In Aljunied, the use of Arabic extends beyond the teaching of Islamic subjects as communication outside the classrooms has also to be in Arabic. With such a wide embrace of the language, it is no wonder that Aljunied's students' mastery of the Arabic language is second to none. The Aljunied offers classes from primary to "A" levels. Though it sets its own exams for primary six, by 2008, all of its students are required to sit for the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) under the Compulsory Education Act. Currently, the school makes it mandatory for students to take their "O" Levels while sitting for the "A" Levels is encouraged. Those successful in the latter can enrol directly to the prestigious al-Azhar or the International Islamic University in Malaysia. A Tradition of Excellence The contribution of Madrasah Aljunied towards producing Muslim leaders is testified by its long and illustrious line of prominent old boys. Graduates of the school who have played a key role in the Muslim affairs in Singapore include; the Mufti of Singapore, Syed Isa Mohamed Semait; president of Syariah Court, Salim Jasman, and his predecessor, Haji Abu Bakar Hashim; Registry of Muslim Marriages official, Pausuni Maulan; religious leader, Ustaz Ahmad Sonhaji; and school principal, Mohamad Amin Muslim. The school is also responsible for Muslim leaders in other Southeast Asian countries; ninety percent of Sarawak Islamic Council's staff and Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs, Datok Mohamed Zain, are ex-students. Address Madrasah Aljunied al-Islamiah, 30 Victoria Lane, Singapore 198424.

Author
Nureza Ahmad



References 
Donate a days pay to help build school. (1997, July 2). The Straits Times.

$4.2 m raised for new religious school building. (1996, June 2). The Straits Times.

Historic school the RI of Islamic education here. (1996, January 22). The Straits Times. 

Mardiana Abu Bakar (1993, May 4). The best of both worlds?; From madrasah to university. The Straits Times, Life, pp. 1-2.

Popular again after decline in 70s and 80s. (1998, March 1). The Straits Times.

School grooms Islams future leaders. (1997, July 17). The Straits Times. 

$3 m more needed to rebuild school. (1997, July 10). The Straits Times.

Tuminah Sapawi (1997, July 24). Non-Muslims respond to fund-raising. The Straits Times.

Victoria Street religious school to get new building. (1995, December 4). The Straits Times.

Zuraidah Ibrahim (1998, March 1). Singapores Islamic schools. The Straits Times.


Further Readings
Ahmad Osman (2000, April 22). Govt believes in madrasahs importance. The Straits Times.

Aref A. Ghouse. (1996, August 8). Suasana hening 'tutup buku' Madrasah Aljunied. Berita Harian, p. 2.

Helmi Yusof (2003, October 15). 262 madrasah pupils sit for PSLE. The Straits Times.

Madrasah Aljunied enters world of IT- First for Islamic school here. (1999, February 6). The Straits Times.

Madrasah draws hearts and money. (1998, May 7). The Straits Times.

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). (2002). Annual report 1999. Retrieved June 15, 2004, from www.muis.gov.sg/webpub/ar99/pg5.html

Tuminah Sapawi. (n.d.). A tradition of excellence forging into the future. Retrieved June 15, 2004, from www.aljunied.edu.sg/history.htm 

The information in this article is valid as at 2004 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Politics and Government>>Education
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Educational Buildings
Schools--Singapore
Islamic education--Singapore
Education>>Special education
People and communities>>Social groups and communities
Arts>>Architecture>>Educational buildings

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>> Syed Sharif Omar al-Junied


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