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Theme :
Reforms of Islamic Higher Education in Meeting Contemporary Challenges
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| The recent unrests in the Arab world could be the consequence of a turbulence
that has been brewing under the surface for a long period - just waiting
to erupt. The governments have not been able to provide the basic needs
of its people and had been authoritarian in its governance. On the other
hand, countries like Malaysia, Britain and Denmark, the Netherlands and
France in Europe are grappling with potentially explosive racial and religious
tensions from its diverse population where each community is asserting
its human rights in the free world. The potential conflict arose from the
perceived discrimination by some groups among the citizens and also the
dissenting views on the dichotomy between the sacred and the secular. In
this context, how has Islamic education in particular Islamic higher education
or higher education in the Islamic world responded to these challenges?
Has there been reform to accommodate or to adapt to the new situations.
It is crucial to examine their responses because higher education is the
pinnacle of intellectual creativity and for the amount of human capital
investment committed, it is expected to contribute towards the harmony
of living in a diverse society. Furthermore, it determines the direction
of basic and secondary education that inculcates a certain disposition
among the younger generation on the way to live. Will Islamic higher education
continue to be traditional or will it take a leading position of change
within the society? The objective of the conference is thus, to examine
the various challenges that are context specific and the different alternative
ideas and actions that are being taken, as part of the solution. |
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