The Growth and Development of Modern Arabic schools in Ibadan, 1945-2000

Abstract

The question of Islamic literacy has attracted global scholarly interest in Africa. Earlier studies on the activities of Islam have concentrated on the growth of Islamic learning centres and its impact in the propagation of Islamic ideals in Ilorin, Kano and Lagos. However, there is yet an exhaustive study on the activities of the growth and development of Islamic learning in Ibadan under colonial and postcolonial influence in Nigeria. The Arabic schools found in Ibadan were established as centres of Arabic civilisation and culture. The schools promoted spiritual and sectarian concerns of Islamic religion than by the secular needs of the society. The paper complements the existing studies on how colonial authorities in Ibadan encouraged the spread and teachings of Islam with the establishment of modern Arabic schools in Ibadan. The paper concludes that all the schools covered in this study were committed to character building based on the ideals of Islamic ethics and civilization.