Streams of Islamic Education and General Education

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the schools of Islamic education and general education through a comparative-conceptual literature review. This study is motivated by the dichotomous tendency in reading Islamic education and general education, as if they are two completely separate areas. Islamic education is often narrowed down to normative-religious education, while general education is often understood as rational-secular education that has no connection to transcendental values. This study uses a qualitative method based on library research with a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were obtained from relevant articles and books on the philosophy of Islamic education, the philosophy of general education, the epistemology of Islamic education, the history of classical Islamic education, curriculum development, and learning methods. The results of the study indicate that Islamic education has an integrative character because it connects revelation, reason, morals, experience, spirituality, life skills, and social responsibility. The conservative school emphasizes moral development and an orientation towards the afterlife; the religious-rational school emphasizes the balance of revelation and reason; while the pragmatic school emphasizes the relevance of education to social needs and the common good. Meanwhile, general education, through essentialism, perennialism, progressivism, reconstructionism, existentialism, constructivism, and humanism, contributes to cultural inheritance, the search for truth, experiential learning, social change, individual freedom, knowledge construction, and the humanization of students. The synthesis of this article asserts that Islamic education and general education can be viewed dialogically through an integrative-transformative educational model that balances spiritual values, critical rationality, meaningful experiences, socio-practical skills, and respect for human dignity.