Education in Mansuriyyah

Education in Mansuriyyah

Ministry of Education
Minister	Muallim ibn Adib al-Talib
General details
Primary languages	Arabic alongside co-official languages within respective regions, including Kurdish, Persian and Vainakh
Literacy (2018)
Total	97.4
Male	97.9
Female	96.7
Attainment (2018)
Secondary diploma	86%
Post-secondary diploma	41%

Primary Education

It lasts six years, from ages 6 to 12. It's divided in two cycles: a four-year foundation stage (Primary 1 to 4) and a two-year orientation stage (Primary 5 to 6). Students learn cognitive and social development in primary school. It aims at providing fundamental skills on which further education will be built upon, as well as raising morally upright and pious youth.

Focus on core educational subjects:

- Native language

- Second language

- Mathematics

- Sciences

- Social sciences

- Arts and crafts

- Physical education

- Civic and religious education

Secondary Education

It lasts four years, between the ages 12 to 16. It focus on core subjects plus electives. Divided in two two-year cycles. It presents students either with a list of electives, or with an integrated, 4 or 6 years track program (a 6-year program will extend until baccalaureate). It aims at expanding the students’ skill set and develop their potential interests, as well as reinforcing core skills. A focus on elective subjects has been in place since educational reforms in 2013, but some schools still specialize in integrated track programs, such as military schools, religious schools, technical schools and scientific schools.

First cycle:

- Native language

- Second language

- Foreign language

- Mathematics

- Sciences

- Social sciences

- Physical education

- Civic and religious education

- Electives

Second cycle:

- Arabic

- Foreign language

- Mathematics

- Sciences

- Social sciences

- Physical education

- Civic and religious education

- Electives

Students at the primary and secondary level are also supposed to choose at least one co-curricular activity, usually categorized as Uniformed Groups, Arts, Clubs and Sports.

Pre-University Education

It lasts two, three or four years, between the ages 16 to 18/19/20. This optional level focus on either preparing for higher studies or preparing for a trade. Vocational education usually involve apprenticeships and usually lasts from 2 to 4 years, depending on the desired trade. Education at this level may occur in specialized institutions, in secondary schools with extended facilities for this level, or in specialized sections within high education institutions. Professional education focus on apprenticeships which may last from 2 to 4 years, which upon successful completion, grants a journeyman license which allows the person to work in the respective field. A wide range of professions are included. In many cases, professional education lies directly in the hands of recognized and authorized masters, but professional colleges do exist for more technical, complex areas.

The tracks available at this level are:

- Sciences

- Social Sciences

- Health Sciences

- Literature and Language

- Religion and Theology

- Technological Specialties

- Trade and Professional Specialties

Higher Education

It is broadly divided between universities and polytechnics. University education in Mansuriyyah tends to be academic-centered and eliticized, while polytechnics are elite technological institutions concentrating on applied science and engineering.

A striking characteristic of Mansuri high education is the existence of a multiplicity of small sized establishments, each specialized in a more-or-less broad spectrum of areas. This comes from Mansuri waqf (foundation) tradition, where donators would establish endowments for small-sized specialized educational institutions. State-founded establishments (as well as a small number of elite private) tend to be larger.

Another trait of Mansuri education is its teacher-centered approach. This also derives from traditional, medieval practice, where knowledge would be transmitted from a master to a pupil, who upon reaching mastery, would be personally certified and licensed by his teacher. Derivations of this practice continue until present day: University degrees are usually awarded by a head professor, co-signed by the student’s professors, and merely certified by the institution, thus preserving the millenary tradition of student-teacher relationship. Similar process also occur in professional and vocational education.

Religious Education

Perhaps one of the most characteristics learning institutions in Mansuriyyah are the religious institutes. Around 8 percent of students at the pre-university level choose to undergo theological studies, usually furthered with higher education in the area.

The typical progression of a student who chooses to pursue higher religious studies usually starts at middle school. The student will either enroll at a secondary sharia institute which offers a pre-set electives track specializing in theological subjects, or the student might attend a regular secondary school but select religious subjects as their electives. At the end of middle school, the student either: a) if enrolled in a secondary sharia institute, proceeds into the pre-university level of the institution; b) enrolls at a madrasa that offers pre-university sharia courses; or c) enrolls a specialized pre-university sharia school. Students who neither choose the religious stream during regular middle school, nor attended a secondary religious school, will have to either prove they attended informal religious lessons and learned up to the appropriate level (informal religious education is commonplace in mosques and at home) or attend a one-year preparatory course to acquire sufficient knowledge to proceed with their education. After completing the pre-university level, the student will either: 1) proceed to university-level education in the same institution, if it offers it; or b) enroll at a madrasa.

Alternatively, it’s also possible to enroll at a university-level seminary without having attended religious secondary and pre-university studies, if the prospective student can prove they attended informal lessons and acquired the necessary level of knowledge. It is even possible to complete university-level theology studies without attending a seminary, due to the traditional nature of Islamic education which Mansuris still value, if one studies privately with recognized religious scholars and attend public study circles at mosques, and is personally certified by his teachers that they reached the required level of scholarship.