After the success of last two years Study Skills course, the Education Committee of the Council of European Jamaats decided to hold one this year too. This year the course was again held at Syeda Zainab Complex in Birmingham and was attended by 21 students.
The aim of the course is to help students take charge of their own affairs, not only in the non-educational side of the college/university time, but also in the learning and studying patterns. Learning how to study effectively is a skill that has to be taught first, and then put into practice by the student. The course was organised by Dr. Mahmood Datoo.
Below is the report of the 1999 Study Skills Course, presented by one of the participants, Riyaz Ahmed Daya, a first year student at Cambridge University.
Jamats may like to take advantage of the participants by inviting them to teach some of the skills to GCSE and A Level Students.
"On Tuesday 31st August 1999, twenty-one khoja youths from all over the country apprehensively congregated in the conference room in Birmingham Jamaat's Zainabiyya Hall, for the 1999 Study Skills Course. There was a certain amount of tension in the air since most of us were strangers to each other; everyone struggled to look for a vaguely familiar face in order to strike up superficial conversation with someone.
Male participants in class in an atmosphere conducive to studying. Also apparent was a level of apathy in the air. "I mean, come on, a study skills course? What a joke!" The boys had been forced to attend by their parents, while the girls had chosen to attend in order to get away from their parents for a few days! An enthusiastic bunch, we were not. After all, how much could one learn (or how much fun could one have) while being cooped up in a classroom full of khojas for four days? Nevertheless, since the trip only cost fifty quid (it would have probably cost more to live at home for those four days) things did not look all that bad. If only the four days would pass quickly, we could return home re-energised and ready to enjoy the rest of the summer holiday. Lady participants in class, each busy studying.
A tour of the building quashed our greatest anxieties; it actually produced some pleasant surprises that were beyond our wildest expectations. It was a relief to most of us to see that there were decent showers. We were also delighted to find a 'pool room' (albeit lacking a pool table). There was also a badminton court, a table tennis table, an assortment of board games and someone even brought a pack of UnoTM. . May be it would not be a long four days after all…
Dinner was had in a different restaurant each evening. That evening, after namaaz we were served a delicious meal; £50 well spent, I was beginning to think. Thereafter, when we discovered there was no curfew we rushed to the Pool room and badminton court. (Apparently we were all mature 'young adults' who were responsible enough to determine our own bedtime). In due course a pool table was discovered and some of the games, accompanied by much intellectual discussion, continued well into the night.
It was the best bedsit I ever stayed in. One never ran out of carpet space to spread the sheets out and you just rolled over straight into bed. As we began to get to know each other we found the group to be full of a variety of different people. Participants came from as far as Portsmouth, South London and Milton Keynes, as well as Birmingham and Stanmore. The universities attended were as far up north as Manchester, and as far down south as Surrey. The group was mixed with loud lawyers, dedicated doctors, egotistical economists and many more. Despite our differences, we all got on well (or at least pretended to!). Catching up on last minute preparations.
We had seven hours of lectures during the day for the next three days. At first glance, this appears a daunting prospect. However, we soon found out that these were not lectures of the conventional nature- rather, interactive sessions which made learning fun and more effective. We learnt many useful skills through the course, some of which were taught to us by outside lecturers. These ranged from techniques such as mind mapping and 'speed reading' to lecture preparation, note taking and essay writing. We were also prepared for the more general aspects of university life through topics such as 'time management' and 'a successful student'. Typical 'mind mapping' samples as made by the participants for their talks. Each developed an individual style.
The evening programmes kept us very well entertained. On the Wednesday evening, we went bowling, followed by dinner at 'Desi Khana'. After Dua and Majlis on the Thursday evening, we were taken to Karachi Fried Chicken, and the presentation ceremony was held at Al-Faidhal on the Friday evening. Representatives of various Jamaats and Khoja organisations throughout the country as well as those who attended the previous year's course came to this. Among the dignitaries were Dr Bahadur Dalal (guest of honour), Jaffer Dharamsi (President, CoEJ), Nazir Virjee (President, Peterborough), Mohamed Bharwani (President,Birmingham), Husna Khimji (Chairlady,Birmingham), and Murtaza Datoo (Chairman, Education, CoEJ).
During the presentation, following a touching speech by Jaffer Dharamsi (President of CoEJ) and a short speech by Mohamed Bharwani (President of Birmingham Jamaat), every member of the group gave a speech. This was one of the most educational experiences of the course; many of us had never addressed a large audience before. Some of the speeches were humorous, others were more emotional; but everyone agreed that the course had been greatly beneficial.
Certificates being presented to lady participants by the Chairlady of Birmingham Jamaat.
After a long night of various sports competitions and numerous intellectual debates, we found that Saturday morning had come too soon for us- it was time to part. The girls hugged each other and wept, promising to keep in touch, while the boys grunted and attempted to look void of any emotion. Many of the same thoughts were crossing our minds such as how the four days had passed so quickly, and how useful and enjoyable the entire course had been. As well as the useful study techniques we picked up, the course also assisted in personal development. By thrusting us into an environment with strangers, we were given an idea of what it would be like when starting university; the course will prove useful in helping us to adapt to meeting so many different people in a short space of time. Furthermore, everyone left the course with a more enhanced sense of community spirit and belonging. Maintaining an Islamic identity in the face of all the freedom that university life gives us is going to be challenging, to say the least. Nevertheless, this course helped us all realise that we were not alone in this journey; there are others from our own community in the same boat. I would recommend the course as a MUST to anyone starting university next year, and also those who are already at university at the moment."
|
