Open letter to parents re the online courses

Posted: May 25, 2005

Subject: Free online Islamic courses for your children

Attached: Enrolment Form, Sample Lesson for Grade 11, Sample Slide

Dear Parents:

As-salamu 'alaykum.

SM Educational and Research Institute (SMERI) is a non-profit private institution, which aims at catering for the academic, intellectual and religious training needs of the nascent communities of Ahl al-Bayt-adherents in the Philippines. While its library is serving as the pivot, SMERI is divided into three bureaus: (1) Education Bureau, (2) Research Bureau, and (3) External Bureau.

Acknowledging the urgent need to impart Islamic teachings to our young generation in such a secular environment as ours, we are pleased to inform you that under its External Department, SMERI is offering free online Islamic courses for your children--the first of its kind in the country for at least among the followers of the Prophet's Pure Household ('a)--as part of its various outreach programs.

Dealing with four subjects--(a) Akhlaq (Morality), (b) Fiqh (Jurisprudence), (c) Qur'an, and (d) Tarikh (History)--these courses have 11 levels or grades for children aged 4 to 16, i.e. from pre-school to high school.

How?
After receiving your filled up Enrollment Form attached herewith, we will gradually send you the lessons in pdf format as well as relevant supplementary slides as email attachments, and in return, wait for the receipt through email of your child's answer to the worksheet in every lesson. Then, we will send through the same channel the next lesson until your child successfully finished the course.

Thus, you will be in need of the following:
- PC with Internet connection
- Acrobat Reader (to open the lessons)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (to open the supplementary slides of some lessons in jurisprudence)
- Printer (to print the lessons)
- Scanner (to scan the worksheet to be sent to us)

Please find attached (1) a sample lesson (level 11 for students aged 16) and (2) a sample slide for you to have some idea about our lessons offered along with their supplementary teaching materials such as slides.

At the end of each grade, we will give a beautiful Certificate to your child for finishing the specific grade.

Your child will receive the Lesson 1 in each of the four subjects once we received the filled up Enrollment Form.

Needless to say, we are most willing to entertain questions that you may have regarding the content and conduct of the online Islamic courses.


Faithfully,

The Administrator
SM Educational & Research Institute (SMERI)
P.O. Box 521
9600 Cotabato City

(Philippines)