Dugsi in the Time of Covid-19
How do we deal with the closure of dugsis due to the rapid spread of Covid-19? How do we make the most out of this difficult situation?. I will be sharing with you several steps we can take to make sure our children’s Quran and Islamic studies are not impacted dramatically by this pandemic.
- Surrendering to the Will of Allah.
The most important lesson from this pandemic is realizing that this world is a place of trials and tribulations. It is important you take precautions by washing your hands with soap and warm water, cover your nose while sneezing or coughing, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, practice social distancing and stay at home if you are sick. And the most important is to pray to Allah to protect you from this illness.
2. Preparing for Distance learning
All of us know that our madrassa and dugsis lack or do not possess the resources to run a well-coordinated distance learning program for our students. At this time we need to come together as teachers, parents, and leaders to find a way to continue teaching our students in these difficult times. Dugsi leaders should reach out to public schools, education experts in order to understand the most effective way of delivering lessons online. I personally believe in times of crisis we need unwavering faith in Allah and great leadership.
3. More time for Memorization.
I guess many parents, teachers, and students will see this crisis as a blessing in disguise. One of the biggest challenges facing our students is the lack of time for practicing and preparing for their dugsi lessons. With the schools closed and classes going online, it means more time for memorizing the Qur’an and moving forward in achieving their dugsi goals. I seriously urge parents to manage their children’s time very well and create more time for learning the Qur’an and Islamic Studies.
4.More Time for the Deen.
Many parents can have more time to teach their children how to pray especially those young ones who are 7year olds and above. Families can actually watch more Islamic lectures and videos together. It is also an opportunity to reconnect with each other and reflect upon the blessings that Allah bestowed on you and your family. Indeed we have more than enough to be Thankful to our lord ‘’And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’’ 16:18
5.Resources for Qur’ an/Islamic studies Teachers To Conduct Online Classes.
I think the first resource is having a smartphone where you have the advantage of finding other resources online. One free resource is Facetime, you can Facetime Your Students or their parent, Skype (https://www.skype.com/en/) it is free you just have to create an account and you will be connecting with your students through video and Audio, another free service is https://www.freeconferencecalling.com/ and finally, https://zoom.us/.Just know this is just a very small fraction of the free resources you can use as a teacher in this challenging times.
In conclusion, I know as a teacher we are missing our students and this is a great opportunity to sit back and examine our intentions. It is a time to reflect on our teaching methods and review them so we can become better teachers and produce amazing, pious and ambassadors of Islam. I ask Allah to protect us from all diseases and sicknesses.