New scholarship support for Islamic Education at the University of Warwick
A gift from the COSARAF Charitable Foundation will support a Masters scholarship for Islamic Education in the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick.- The Sheikh Family Scholarship will be awarded to students studying the Islamic Education Pathway within the MA Religions, Society and Education.
- One award will be made each year over the next three years. Each student will receive £10,000 to support the cost of their tuition fees and living expenses.
- The package of support for the selected scholar will also include access to a personal mentor, a paid Summer internship in a leading charity, engagement with COSARAF funded projects, and access to a tailored leadership support programme.
A gift from the COSARAF Charitable Foundation will support a Masters scholarship for Islamic Education in the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick. The university is one of four leading higher-education institutions chosen by the COSARAF Charitable Foundation for its new higher education support programme, launched today.
The Sheikh Family Scholarship will be open to Muslim home students who are facing financial hardship, and, ideally, are students who are the first in their families to attend university. Priority will go to those students for whom this will make most difference and who have a clear commitment to giving back to society and their communities.
Beneficiaries of the scholarship will be required to contribute to an alumni programme for all scholars, commit to the mentoring and leadership support provided, demonstrate ongoing commitment to social causes relevant to the Foundation’s priorities and champion the programme externally.
For the first year, the scholarship will be offered to students undertaking the Postgraduate Award in Islamic Education who are eligible to progress onto the Masters course, and then opened up to all students on the MA Islamic Education programme from year two onwards.
Dr Abdullah Sahin, Reader in Islamic Education and Course Leader, (pictured above) said:
“We are delighted that this gift will support a Masters student studying Islamic Education.
"Our pioneering graduate courses, designed to facilitate a professional approach to Islamic Education practice, are making an important contribution towards improving the quality of teaching and learning within formal and informal Islamic educational settings such as madrassa, mosques and Islamic schools.
"Students enrolled on the course gain reflective pedagogic competence, develop their social science research skills and engage with the foundations of spiritual and critical education in Islam.”
Haroon Sheikh, Chairman of the COSARAF Charitable Foundation, (pictured left) said:
“The COSARAF Charitable Foundation wants to help people who have or will have important leadership roles within their communities, but who would have difficulty studying because of financial barriers.
"Our comprehensive package of support is designed to help overcome these challenges. We are very pleased to be able to help young people in minority ethnic and faith communities who aspire to come to one of the UK’s leading universities.”
26 April 2019
Notes
The COSARAF Charitable Foundation was established in 2007 by Haroon and Farouq Sheikh, and the wider Sheikh family, to benefit communities and individuals in the UK and abroad. The Foundation supports projects in the UK and overseas, with a particular focus on Africa (especially East Africa) and South East Asia.
The Foundation’s objectives are :
- to promote strong and cohesive communities. In particular, it works to promote equality and integration within society, and to encourage religious tolerance and freedom to practice religious beliefs.
- to enable young people to realise their potential. In particular, it supports those that cannot afford an education, encourages entrepreneurship amongst young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and supports young people to develop their skills and take advantage of opportunities that would not be available to them otherwise due to their backgrounds.
- to empower women and girls. In particular, it supports women and girls through skills development and those facing abuse, discrimination and disadvantage.
The Centre for Education Studies (CES) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences, the 4th largest social sciences faculty in the UK. The Centre’s main research themes are religions and education research, special needs education and disability research, childhood, cultural and creative learning, school leadership and improvement, life sciences education and international development and education.
The Centre is ranked 3rd in the UK for research intensity in the Research Excellence Framework (2014) and 76% of research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.
There is a thriving community of postgraduates, teachers and education professionals from all over the world studying for taught Master's degrees and research degrees.
More information about the Master’s degree is available here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/prospective/postgraduate/taught/islamiceducation
and on the Postgraduate Award here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ces/prospective/postgraduate/taught/islamicpga/
Warwick Islamic Education Project
The Warwick Islamic Education Project aims to establish a hub of excellence in research and teaching on Islamic Education Studies, to open up professional development pathways for practitioners, and to encourage research-based, reflective practice in Islamic educational settings. It is based within the Centre for Education Studies. The Project signifies a model university-community collaboration and aims to facilitate engagement with the educational challenges facing British and European Muslim communities, widening participation with mainstream higher education institutions, and contributing to the achievement of social cohesion and meaningful coexistence within the context of the modern world.
The Warwick Islamic Education Project has been funded by the Randeree Charitable Trust.