Nurdin Hasan – In a major review of its education system, Aceh's provincial government has started looking to integrate Shariah-based values into the curriculum, testing subjects such as Koran recitation alongside improved information technology and English courses.

The aim was to speed up the development of quality education in the province by teaching students about Islamic values, as well as local history and culture, Aceh's Education Office chief Mohd Ilyas Wahab said on Monday.

Under the plan, values such as akhlakul karimah, or proper Islamic behavior, would be taught in addition to classes on religion and Arabic. Tests for elementary school students in Koranic recitation would not, however, be included until they conducted trials next year.

"Our target for the future is to create an above average standard for Acehnese school graduates, as they will not only be measured by national examination results but also from examinations on local content," Ilyas said.

In 2009, the government allocated 20 percent of the total budget, amounting to Rp 9.7 trillion ($843.9 million), to improving education, including a push to have all teachers in the province properly accredited.

Rector of the Ar-Raniry State Institute of Islamic Studies in Banda Aceh, Prof. Yusni Saby, welcomed the government's plan and said the institute would help it realize its goals by providing qualified graduate teachers.

Yusni said that Shariah could not be separated from education, since it would be hard to implement Shariah without being educated about it.

"We want Aceh's standard of education to not only be in accord with the national standards, but with international ones  and yet still be based on Acehnese characteristics  as education is global in its nature," he said.