1. Importance of Quran Education for Children
a. Quran Education
Discover the importance and need of learning the Quran for children online and how it can positively impact their lives. Religious education is a fundamental part of a child’s grooming. Proper Quran education is very important in Muslim societies. However, this crucial part of education never gets the due diligence of the parents, which later results in a poor understanding of the child, of the Quran in general and Islam in particular, in the later part of his life. Like other aspects of a child’s grooming, the education of the Quran also requires dedicated time and the proper instruction. A poor teacher cannot teach a child properly about such a comprehensive divine book which has so many aspects to understand.
b. Complete Code of Life. If it is properly guided, children can accrue many benefits from Quran education. Quran is a complete guideline for life on all matters. It has many valuable moral lessons for children.
c. Literary Value. Quran is not only a divine book but also a masterpiece of literature. Learning has a lot of value to learn it. The Quran is written in a unique and poetic way. It is a delight to read and understand the Quran.
d. Learning History. Besides the religious aspect, the Quran can teach a lot about Muslim history. The Quran is full of historical references.
e. Mental Faculty. It is difficult to remember something which you cannot understand. It is a challenging task that requires focus and perseverance. Memorizing the Quran improves a child’s memory.
2. Need for Quran Education Online
The COVID pandemic and recent floods have changed how we use to see education and living. Mobile and IT technology have made online learning a necessity. Children learn to use mobile at a very young age. It is a captivating presentation that takes a child’s interest. A balance and well-designed app according to the child’s psyche, can make him sit and learn with focus even when it is a boring subject or learning a new language such as Arabic. Online education is no more an optional facility in the education system. It has become one of the prime ways to learn new skills and earn a higher education. The Quran education is no different from other education, online Quran education has become the need of the hour. Children have such a busy and hectic academic life that time for additional things becomes difficult. Online Quran education can make it much easier to adjust Quran education in children’s daily routines.
3. Major Challenges in Traditional Teaching of the Quran
a. Conventional Education. Traditional education of the Quran is a cumbersome activity. It requires a lot of time and effort to manage the time for the children. Most religious institutes teach just after school timings or late. Most students are not in the best mood and energy at that time. It lacks the flexibility to plan the time of teaching. There is no variety in the teaching mechanism and the learning experience cannot be customized as per the children’s personalities. eLearning can make Quran education a fun activity for children. It can be molded as per the specific interest of the children.
b. Poor Environment in Institutes
. There is an increase in violence and sex abuse cases in educational institutes. The tendency of promoting extremism and politics has become a new normal. Bullying by teachers and fellow students is also a concern. There is no accountability mechanism to effectively guard against the mistreatment of a student by a teacher. Challenged students do not get due attention.
c. Location. One cannot find a good teacher in all places. Either the teaching location is very far, or you do not get enough space to teach the children inside the home without disturbance.
d. Student-to-Teacher Ratio. The student-to-teacher ratio is very poor in traditional teaching methods. The teacher cannot give individual attention to a child.
e. Poor Quality of Teachers. The native teachers are not language experts, and their own education is very limited. Their focus in Quran education from start is limited to mere reading and rote learning rather than understanding. The quality of Quran teachers available in non-Arab is not very good as far as the language is concerned.
f. Children Psychology. Today children are very tech-savvy. Their schooling is done in a high-tech environment, it becomes very difficult for them to learn the Quran in an orthodox method. Standard Quran teaching methods do not meet children evolved mental aptitude.
