Attachment to School: The Madrasa and the Islamic Public School for Girls ComparedThe Madrasa and the Islamic Public School for Girls Compared

Abstract

Chapter 4 looks at students’ emotional attachment to the madrasa, comparing them with the students of a secular Barelwi school that initially operated in a different part of the same premises. Student engagement in the madrasa is demonstrated through key ritual moments: morning ( fajr ) prayer and morning assembly ( du‘a ), and the student-led weekly (Thursday night) anjuman , a program of Qur’an recitation, praise poems in honor of the Prophet ( na‘t ), and speeches ( taqrir ). The level of student and teacher engagement in the secular Barelwi school is markedly lower, for reasons I spell out in the chapter. These include: students’ lack of interest in the subjects taught at the secular school; a lax disciplinary environment; and a lack of subjective connection between the lives of the students and the academic curriculum. On the other hand, they appreciate the school for offering them religious instruction, although not required by the state.