Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Madrasah Ibtidaiyyah: Facts and Challenges

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

English mastery as a global communication tool is essential not only for international exchange but also for Islamic communities to communicate Islam beyond Arabic-speaking contexts. Teaching English in madrasah ibtidaiyyah becomes a key TEFL concern in Islamic education. The paper draws on a ten-year teaching experience in Cirebon, outlining cultural, learner, classroom process, and outcome realities. It contrasts these conditions with current research, addressing tensions in Indonesia’s Curriculum 2013 that removes English at the primary level.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

English as an international language

Data on global English speakers

English for knowledge and information access

Religion and cross-cultural communication

Dinamika Ilmu P-ISSN: 1411-3031; E-ISSN: 2442-9651 2015, Vol. 15 No. 1 Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Madrasah Ibtidaiyyah: Facts and Challenges Wakhid Nashruddin IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon, Indonesia [wahid1n@yahoo.co.id](wahid1n@yahoo.co.id) Abstract The mastery of English as a tool of communication among nations and people around the globe is an undeniable fact. Islam world also needs to follow this by equipping its people with English as a communication tool. As Arabic is used for the communication inside Islam, English is needed to communicate Islam to other people around the earth both to Muslims or Non-Muslims. Teaching English has become an increasingly significant element in Islamic education. For this, the issue of teaching English at madrasah is an important concern for practitioners in the area of TEFL in Islamic institutions. This paper explores the writer’s ten-year experience in teaching English at a madrasah ibtidaiyyah in Cirebon, West JavaIndonesia. The conditions that will be pictured are the culture, the students, the teaching and learning process, and the outcome of the current practices in madrasah ibtidaiyyah, mainly in the area of TEFL. Then, all these conditions will be contrasted to up to date research findings and theories so that the facts and the challenges can be clearly seen. This will also be seen from the perspective of current curriculum in Indonesia, namely curriculum 2013, which bears contradictions with the presence of it. In fact, the curriculum 2013 eliminates English as a subject learned at primary school level. What madrasah ibtidaiyyah will do in the next years can direct the expected outcome of the teaching of English at this level. Kinds of program that can be designed to empower the state of English mastery are an essential case to discuss. This all facts and challenges can provide insights so that people working in and with madrasah ibtidaiyyah understand and are ready to face the global communication era. Keywords: TEFL, English, madrasah ibtidaiyyah, facts, challenges A. Introduction The communication among nations now has gone beyond what people thought in forty or fifty years ago. No borders among nations are an impression when people can be connected via internet. Global era cannot be stopped. People do business, networking, education, and other activities via internet. People are connected now. In order to get connected with other people from different parts of the world, it is a requirement that people master tools which can be used by people they communicate with. This is important as to get connected means to be able communicate with other people. Messages should be able to be understood. In this way, understanding of message is crucial because how messages to be responded rely on the true understanding of the messages. Language mastery plays its role in this part. English as an international language that is widely used all over the world takes its significant role more than it was used hundred years ago. It is now used in all aspects of human beings’ life from all ages. English emerges as a foreign language that is extensively used as a language of communication in the global era. British council estimates that 375 million people speak English as a first language, 375 million people speak it as a second language, and around 750 million people speak it as a foreign language. By 2000, it was estimated that more than one billion people have been learning English. And the number grows in the next following years. The spread of English as the language for communication among people in the world cannot be stopped (Britishcouncil, 2013) . Kachru (2006) has different data which are bigger than British Council has. Inner circle population, which speaks English as a first language, is about 408 million people. On the other hand, outer circle, in which the people speak English as a second language has estimated population about 416 million pe

FAQs

Why is English considered important for Islamic education in this paper?

English is viewed as a necessary communication tool beyond Arabic, helping Islam convey messages to both Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide.

What is the focus of the paper regarding madrasah ibtidaiyyah?

It examines facts and challenges in teaching English at madrasah ibtidaiyyah, based on the author’s ten-year experience, including culture, students, learning processes, and outcomes.

How does Indonesia’s Curriculum 2013 relate to the paper’s concerns?

The paper highlights that Curriculum 2013 eliminates English as a subject at the primary school level, creating contradictions with the need for English teaching at this stage.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado