ISLAMIC SCHOOLS
Crescent Girls’ High School
The need for educating females needs no motivation. In keeping with its vision of developing an educated nation, the dire need for an all girls school gave rise to the Crescent Girls’ High School. The school is registered with the Department of Education and Culture (EMIS – 328079) and first commenced in 1998 using temporary premises in Mayville, Durban. The Trust made it possible for the school to move to its new premises in Parlock in 2001, a settlement north of Durban. The Trust is largely responsible in providing the shortfall of the schools financial expenses. Although the school fees are kept low and are affordable to learners from all economic backgrounds, a high standard of education is maintained at the school.
The Crescent Girls’ High School was established solely for the purpose of empowering women to contribute towards upliftment and to assist local communities wherever needed.
Since inception, the Crescent Girls’ High School has obtained 100% pass rate with its first matric learners in 1999, and is rated amongst the top 70 secondary (high) schools in South Africa. In 2003, the school received a special award from the KZN Minister of Education & Culture for being the best school in the Umgeni North Durban Region. The Minister further complimented ‘Crescent Girls’ High School for being of assistance to 3 rural African schools, one of which received a certificate for being the Most Improved High School in the region where results increased from 32% to 78%.
Al-Azhar School of Durban
In 1994, a delegation from the Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, came on a fact-finding mission to look at the possibility of opening a branch of the Al-Azhar School in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This led to a historic meeting which took place at the home of the late Hajee AM Lockhat, the founder of the Hajee AM Lockhat Waqf Trust. The former Wakeel of Al-Azhar, Dr Fawzy Fadil Zifzaaf, telephonically confirmed to the Trust the consent of the Grand Shaykhul Azhar, Mohammed Sayed Thanthawi, to open the Al Azhar School of Durban as a joint venture between the Al-Azhar ash-Shareef of Egypt together with the Lockhat Trust. Present at the meeting were members of the Lockhat family headed by the late Hajee Yusuff Lockhat, Shaykh Yusuf Booley of Cape Town and Dr. Ali Faraj, the representative of the Al -Azhar University. Alhamdulillah, Qari Ahmed Yusuff Lockhat, the Ameer of IEOSA, was entrusted with the task of setting up the school
The Al-Azhar School of Durban commenced in January 2000, initially operating from a school building in Mayville that the Lockhat Trust built in 1949. This primary school shared its premises with the ‘Crescent Girls’ High School’ with an initial enrolment of 18 learners in Grade R and 48 learners in Grade 1, Alhamdulillah. To date, the enrolments have considerably increased up to Grade 9.
The Al-Azhar School of Durban follows a three-tiered education system:
1. The implementation of the curriculum of the Department of Education.
2. Islamic Education following the IEOSA syllabus.
3. The Al-Azhar syllabus with focus on Qur’aan, Arabic and Hifz
