Co-Education

Q: You mentioned ethics-based education. There have been voices in the Majlis-e-Amal against co-education. How are you going to treat co-education in the province?

A:   There is no co-education at lower levels in our province. We have it only at the university level, and at this level one is mature enough to take care of one's behaviour. We have seen in the university that there has seldom been any indecent incident. One can object to co-education at the lower levels where one is too immature and young, but we don't have it in our province at this stage. This is a province of Pakhtuns who hold their values and traditions in high esteem. Everybody, both male and female, is sensitive about these values and tends to protect the honour and dignity of his family, mother and father. Still, provided enough resources, having separate education facilities for males and females is not a bad idea. However, our first priority is to provide education to the disadvantaged and underdeveloped areas.

 

      My question is that 'is coeducation is allowed in Islam or not'?

WaAlaikum Assalam and thank you for contacting dear  sender

Co-education is an alien idea for the Islamic society. We do not find any good social or economic reason for it. Only, that the primary level children may be educated together. Beyond the age of about 9-10 years, girls must be provided separate premises and lady teachers and instructors. Unless we are blind or indifferent to the grave consequences, no one will dare question why Islam demands gender segregation in our social contacts.

Co-education is only one dimension of the bigger issue. Islam’s position on gender segregation is well articulated in the Qur’an (al-Ahzab, al-Noor) and Sunnah and manifested in the injunctions concerning "Hijab". In exceptional cases, and for very specialized areas, teachers and instructors of the opposite sex could be allowed particularly where teacher-student age gap would only inspire mutual respect. Otherwise, we find no sound economic and social reason why students of the two sexes be necessarily grouped together, particularly after they have reached the age of maturity. We now have more than enough evidence and alarming statistics about total degeneration in societies where co-education has been a norm since long.

Co-education is not so important we have lot of example in out history. When many males and females legend has not

Attended any co-education. I my self have never study in co-education. And I do not feel any problem. In current scenario where lot of people emphasizing on this. I think there are some institutions which are producing good result than those where there is co-education. You can say co-education can be requirement of the current era. But not necessity. Making some competition and student at may involve in unethical routine which cause harm to study.