Zakir Naik’s school in Chennai imparts ‘education for both worlds’

The Islamic International School run by Naik boasts of the 'best student-teacher ratio' in Chennai.

Mumbai-based Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik is under the scanner of probe agencies after it emerged that some of the Dhaka attackers were inspired by his speeches, but the ventures run by him seem to be unaffected by the raging controversy surrounding him.

The Islamic International School, run by the preacher in Chennai, barely resembles the striking campus that is advertised in pamphlets, but the management at the school is proud of what it stands for and is unflinching in their support to Zakir Naik and the Salafist tradition the school is embedded in.

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“Education for both the worlds,” says a pamphlet describing the school to prospective parents looking to enroll their children in the school.

According to a report, the school’s curriculum includes teaching of the Quran and is filled with religious content but the management says that everything being taught is completely within the framework of the Cambridge syllabus.

Dawood Basha, the Vice-Principal of the school explained what ‘education for both the worlds’ meant. “Our students take the IGCSE Cambridge International Examinations for which highly qualified teachers coach the students as per the Cambridge syllabus. At the same time, we teach the students the Koran and the Hadith,” he said.

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The management claims that Zakir Naik visits the campus sometimes and interacts directly with the students.

There are close to 100 students in the school and 67 teachers to educate them. The school reportedly has the ‘best student-teacher ratio’ in Chennai.

The pamphlet states that the school is still in the 'process' of getting an affiliation under the Cambridge IGCSE Board and students take their exams through APL Global, which is affiliated with Cambridge.

In its curriculum for Islamic Studies, the school teaches the Hifz of the Quran, Tajweed and Qirat, Seerah of the Prophet, Shariah and Dawah as subjects.