Sunday January 31st 2010
11:00am
Panel Members: Serigne Youssou Diop, Serigne Sam Bousso, Serigne Elhadji Ndiaye Sheikh Ndindi, Serigne Khali Diakhate, Sheikh Mouhammad Fadilou
In his opening remarks at the conference, The Role of Education: The Mourid Response, Serigne Youssou Diop reminded the participants that the Great Magal is a wonderful opportunity to educate and talk about the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. He said we celebrate the Magal to commemorate Sheikh Bamba’s going into exile solely for the adoration of God and his love for Prophet Mouhamad (P.B.U.H.). Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba was constantly in search of knowledge. Serigne Youssou told the conference that education is essential for all and that a country cannot develop without Discipline and Education, and he gave the example that a house cannot be built without a solid foundation and education is so very important especially in this era of technology; a time of great crisis around the world., where information may be tampered with to further a negative agenda. tamper
Education he said is even more important for Muslims as most of the answers to the world’s crisis can be found in Islam, it is imperative that Muslims empower themselves with knowledge. As we face waves of crisis in values and education, the only solution is to turn to the teachings of Ahmadou Bamba and follow the path of Islam, he added. As a community (Ummah) the first of our lessons was “Iqra” meaning Read. Therefore Muslims cannot go without being educated, he concluded.
Serigne Elhadji Ndiaye spoke on the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba and started by saying that Sheikh Bamba’s legacy is so great. Indeed there have been great technological advances as is evident with Hizbut Tarqiyyah’s achievements. Every society’s survival is dependent on education, he said and the educator is not only the teacher in schools but also the parents have a duty to educate their children. The idea of education must not only be left to the schools. Education and discipline go hand in hand, he said. He also pointed out that there was a difference between education and teaching and that to get a well-rounded education the two must go together. He compared the interdependence of the two to mind, body and soul. He said that the three complement each other and exist together. The soul nourishes the mind and body.
Serigne Ndiaye further said that true knowledge is in knowing the Quran, so every Muslim must make great efforts to learn it. In the Quran itself, believers are continually urged to seek knowledge. It’s never too late to learn and since we make great efforts to learn about the latest gadgets and mobile phones, why not make an effort to learn about religion, he urged the participants.
Knowledge is important and Serigne Touba says that the true measure of an individual is their knowledge and action. Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba came from a family of knowledgeable people and believed that things could always be improved. He was always on a quest for more knowledge and it is a testament to his determined outlook that the Grand Magal and everything that relates to him gets bigger and bigger every year.
Speaking on the difficulties and problems facing education in our time, Serigne Sam Bousso told the conference that in the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, we may learn and find answers. He said that some of the difficulties we face in our times are defining or even knowing what education is about. The meaning of education and discipline is broader than teaching, he said, and educating was not just merely theory but it formed a person and created well-rounded individuals, who are motivated and show initiative.
Serigne Sam went on to tell the participants of the conference that a good education is based on good behaviour. Good behaviour would be to avoid talking about others – example of good behaviour would be to emulate Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba in speech and behaviour.
Lack of discipline leads to lack of respect and therefore leads to social problems
To gain discipline he said we need to change behaviour and learn from the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. He gave the example of Serigne Saliou’s school in Khelcom, a school which creates well-rounded individuals who are not only disciplined but have a good attitude to work with much respect for themselves as individuals, and respect for their teachers and for society. He further pointed out a problem which education faces in our times and that is the lack of respect for teachers which he said we can see examples of in our schools. However the teacher must also be disciplined in order for there to be disciplined young people. If the teacher is not disciplined the pupil cannot be disciplined either, Serigne Sam argued. We must go back to the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, he urged, so that we can learn what qualities are required in an educator; good qualities that will allow the pupils to emulate their instructor.
Serigne Sam then touched on the problem of financing in schools. He said that people must reclaim education for them-selves, and not leave it to chance, in the time of Sheikhoul Khadim, when those who were better off contributed toward the education of those who were less fortunate. In this way, they were able to avoid the problems we face now regarding financing. Schools are becoming more expensive and some children find themselves in the position of not being able to carry on and having to leave. The situation is far from satisfactory, he concluded, adding that there are indeed real lessons in the teachings of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. In his time, each had their own duties – those able and willing will help with financing.
The last speaker to talk on the The Role of Education was Serigne Fadilou Niang, he reiterated the point of discipline and said that before teachers attempted to educate and discipline their pupils they must be educated and disciplined themselves. There is also the point about pupils wanting to learn – a person cannot be taught if they have no hunger for knowledge. Serigne Fadilou went on to give examples from the life of Sheikh Bamba to show examples of discipline and respect.
The conference was followed by a short question and answer session.