The Development of Islamic Educational Institutions in Kedah

Abstract

The current provision of Islamic education in Kedah is very different now from that of which the Malays generation received. The emergence of Muslim intellectual, modernisation and globalisation has given a significant impact to the development of Islamic education in Kedah. In fact, Kedah is not being recognised as a popular pondok institution per se, as it also has a remarkable evolvement of the Islamic education provision and institutions. Indeed, the modernizing of Muslim education has resulted in four main outcomes: an increased variety of Muslim educational institutions; transformations in madrasahs and Islamic higher education through modern social and intellectual developments; state efforts to reform and modernise Islamic education; and changes undertaken for the future of Islamic education in an age of globalisation and pluralisation. Today, Kedah has a number of Islamic education institutions which begin from primary and secondary level such as Islamic schools, up to the tertiary level such as Islamic colleges and university. Based on the gathered literatures, it was revealed that Islamic educational institutions seemingly succeeded as the best approach to inculcate Islamic values and Islamic awareness among people. It had influenced a lifestyle of Malays for many generations by constantly providing a powerful moral concern that maintained order in society until the present day.