Seliat Amoke Islamic Centre, Offa

• Diploma in Arabic and Islamic Studies

Contact e-mail: selia.amokeschool@gmail.com  . diplomaseliaamokeoyawoyeislami@gmail.com    Tel: +2348027763362 or 2348035063915

Seliat Amoke Islamic Centre was established in 1995 with a view to providing an avenue for adult Muslims who were not opportune during their young ages to acquire the knowledge of Al-Quran and other relevant education to the general practice of Islamic faith, so that they could explore the opportunity and catch up.

The founder of the centre, Professor Mohammad Jamiu Mosobalaje Oyawoye and few members of his associate constitute the first set of students of the centre. The founder himself was the Naqeeb (Captain) of his class and graduated as the first set of the Centre.

Initially, the Centre started in an informal way with a limited number of students and resource person(s) as their teachers but God out of His grace graduated the centre to a formal one. Today, the Centre is registered with the Kwara State Ministry of Education as one of the private Islamiyyah Schools in Kwara State. The Centre turns out hundreds of graduates in almost every academic year. As at present, the Centre has a population of about 943 students with 410 in the children category, 498 in the adult category and 35 in the Diploma unit.

Introduction

There is evidently a dearth of graduates of Arabic and Islamic Studies in the Nigerian society. Though a number of universities have degree programms in the twin disciplines, however the number of students admitted has been on the decline as a result of inability of many candidates to meet the requirements for admission. There is also a dire need to produce more teachers of Arabic and lslamic studies at primary and secondary school levels in Nigeria for optimum realization of the goals of inculcating Quranic knowledge and enhancing Islamic education in the general practices of Islamic faith and way of life. This is particularly with focus on Offa Muslim community where there is no single Arabic institution running diploma course at present.

The Diploma programme encompasses Arabic as a language and Islamic studies. Its contents are higher than the G.C.E A-LEVEL, SISCE and IJMB standard. It also includes courses in English language which would have been adequately remedied at the end of the course by any candidate with deficiency in English at the school certificate G.C.E O-LEVEL or their equivalent. However, other courses like ICT in Arabic, Introduction to phonetics as well as Lexicography are considered.

The Diploma in Arabic and Islamic Studies would be accepted as direct entry qualification for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Arabic, Islamic studies, Education/ Arabic and Education/ Islamic studies on the condition that the candidate possesses five credits in SSCE GCE O-LEVEL SISCE in relevant courses including English language, Mathematics , Arabic and Islamic studies.

 Philosophy

There are particular characteristics which distinguish Arabic from other disciplines because it is a language which has been studied and developed by Nigerians for eight centuries before the study of other foreign languages. Its subject matter continues to elicit the interest of millions of Nigerians who study it without depending on government support. The legacies of skill, quality and accomplishment left behind by such high profile Nigerian scholars or writers in Arabic serve as a source material for historians and other cognate disciplines in the arts, social sciences and education. This also serves as a stimulus for students wishing to learn it as an academic discipline in the university and as an addition to those who study it out of sheer interest in a foreign language. It also provides diagnostic categories at different layers of language which enrich Applied linguistics. The reciprocal relationship of Arabic with other disciplines is bound to positively influence the student of the subject and the language has also been greatly influenced by many Nigerians languages through convergence of lexical items through borrowing,

Objectives

This programme is designed with the following aims and objectives

a). To provide competent teachers of Arabic and Islamic studies for primary and secondary schools under the 6-3- 3-4 system of education in Nigeria, particularly in Offa Metropolis and its environs.

b). To equip such teachers with standard Arabic and advanced knowledge of Islam to meet the challenges of a contemporary society.

c) To afford the people of the universities within their immediate environment and catchment area and the opportunity of tapping from the Arabic and Islamic intellectual resources available in our society

d) To serve the interest of the wider community in the leaming of Arabic as a living world language and of Islamic studies as a religion which governs the lives of a large population of Nigerians and

e) To prepare suitable candidates for direct entry admissions into the university.