Page 5 - The Regent Digest Volume 12 Issue 28

From The Principal’s Desk From The Principal’s Desk

For communities, it often The evening prayer is followed by activities such as
praying ceremonies, music, storytelling, games, and
takes the form of gatherings preparing and serving traditional and local meals. For

or meals, strengthening family communities, it often takes the form of gatherings or
and community ties and meals, strengthening family and community ties and

promoting charity, solidarity promoting charity, solidarity and social exchange.

and social exchange. The ceremonies and rituals related to Iftar are also

practised by people who do not necessarily fast

appreciate where the gaps in the understand- during the month of Ramadan. The knowledge and
ing and knowledge of the pupils are. They can skills are typically transmitted within families through
see where pupils are secure with their knowl- oral instruction, observation and participation, and
edge and where they are not. For pupils, go- children and youth are often entrusted with prepar-
ing through the test papers together with the ing components of traditional meals. During this
teacher also provides the opportunity to see process, parents also transmit knowledge about the
where they made mistakes, understand if they benefits of fasting and the social values and func-
Robert Franklin need to improve their timing or examination tions of Iftar.
Principal technique and provide the opportunity to re-

vise a topic once again. It was very good that we were able to facilitate the
observance of the Iftar tradition here in school on Sat-
Dear Parents, On Saturday in the dining hall, the boarding urday night. Thank you very much to all those involved

pupils enjoyed an Iftar meal together with their in organising the event, especially Mr Akinola and Mrs
here is only one week of term left parents. Parents were allowed into the school Decker.

before the school holiday begins. on Saturday evening to join their sons/daugh-
T Last week, the pupils sat their end- ters in coming together to break the fast or just
of-term examinations and this week it has to eat alongside their children.
been business as usual in the classrooms.
Iftar has played an important role in the so-
Although end-of-term examinations are cio-cultural heritage of the Islamic faith. It is
often seen as summative tests of a pupil’s observed by Muslims at sunset in the month of
ability, they also provide a great learning Ramadan (the ninth month in the lunar calen-
opportunity for both teachers and stu- dar), upon completion of all religious and cer-

dents. From the answers given in the ex- emonial rites. Observed by people of all ages,
aminations, teachers are able to better genders and backgrounds, it marks the daily
termination of the hardships of fasting from
dawn to sunset.

THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL 4 4 THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL 5