Enhancing Quality, Making Islamic Education at Mosques More Accessible

Islamic Education Fund (IEF) to support more students in need; efforts to raise professionalism of teachers

3 September 2021

1. The Islamic Education Fund (IEF) was introduced in 2004 to ensure that aLIVE Islamic Education (IE) classes at mosques remain affordable to lower-income families. The assistance is provided through subsidies to defray monthly and miscellaneous fees as well as learning materials. IEF comprises 2 components, namely, the Needy Student Grant and the Family Support Rebate to offset fees payable for aLIVE madrasah classes at mosques.

2. In view of the economic strain faced by families, especially the lower income, arising from the pandemic, Muis has reviewed the criteria and the amount of financial assistance given under the IEF. With effect from Jan 2022, eligible students will receive up to $520 in subsidies yearly, up from the current $400 under the Needy Student Grant. In addition, the Family Support Rebate will also be modified to allow for more families to be eligible. The amount disbursed is capped at $70 per student.

3. In total, about 4,100 students will benefit from the $1.8 million that is projected to be disbursed next year. This will be a 35% increase from what Muis expects to disburse in 2020 and is the largest amount to be disbursed thus far. These changes will take effect for students applying for aLIVE classes for 2022 onwards. Details are at Annex A.

4. IEF, which is funded by Zakat collections, has disbursed more than $10.2 million to 37,000 beneficiaries aged between 5-20 years old since its launch. Parents can start applying for IEF online via https://learnislam.sg/apply-for-ief. Enrolment to the aLIVE classes in the following year must be confirmed before the submission of IEF application.

Enhancement to Programme & Continued Profesionalism of Teachers

5. To enhance the quality of aLIVE Islamic education programmes, MUIS has worked with several mosques for their aLIVE centres to come under a centralised management of the Islamic Learning Hub and Management Office (ILHAM) from the start of 2021¹.

6. Under ILHAM, aLIVE operations at mosques are centralised to enhance the quality of the aLIVE programme, through regular reviews of curriculum content to ensure relevance. ILHAM is also driving the professionalisation of aLIVE asatizah through skills development and upgrading programmes. Asatizah are expected to attend annual training and frequent classroom observations to deliver and engage students effectively during lessons.

7. ILHAM was set up under Muis to improve the quality of aLIVE programme while also driving the professionalisation of aLIVE asatizah, which will allow students to benefit from more engaging programmes. For AY2022, 15 aLIVE centres will be managed by ILHAM. More aLIVE centres will be considered for future centralised management under ILHAM in phases.

Registration for aLIVE Classes for AY2022

8. Registration for aLIVE classes for AY2022 can be made online from September till December 2021 via the mosques’s registration links. For the 15 aLIVE centres under ILHAM administration, registration will be open to the public via sms.learnislam.sg. Refer to Annex B for the list of aLIVE centres and the respective registration dates. For further enquiries, parents can email to salam@learnislam.sg or contact the aLIVE administrators at the nearest mosque madrasah.

MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA

¹ 5 aLIVE centres are run under ILHAM in pilot phase. 10 more centres will be managed by ILHAM in Academic Year 2022

Annex A - Islamic Education Fund (IEF) Eligibility
Annex B - aLIVE Centres and Registration Dates for AY2022