Central Madrasa Board Why This Imposition?

Central Madrasa Board Why This Imposition?

Written by

SAIYID HAMID

Published on

July 20, 2022

There could be nothing more arbitrary than the attempt of the Government to impose Central Madrasa Board on the Indian Muslim Community despite the opposition of all credible Muslim religious organisations. Is it not provocation enough to deprive them of the rights given to them by the Constitution in respect of higher mainstream education? Articles 30 and 29 of the Constitution have by judicial hair-splitting been robbed of their practical worth. Everyone who has ever tried to establish or maintain an educational institution is aware of the travails he is destined to go through. Nothing could be more discouraging for those aspiring to promote education than the hassles that stare them in the face. Isn’t it a pity that instead of facilitating the opening of schools with a minority character irritating hurdles are placed? This, among other things, has resulted in Muslims remaining behind in education.

To make things worse Government has started interfering with the small segment of education taken up by religious madrasas which according to Sachar Committee’s Report cover only 4% of the Muslim population. 96% of Muslim children in the relevant age group go to religious madrasas. True, many of these madrasas suffer because of dearth of resources. If the authorities are worried on this score the answer evidently was supplying the resources without attaching strings. This is exactly what they attempted in the 1990s under cover of a scheme titled Modernisation of Madrasas. They took care to hold discussions with representatives of Madrasas and assured them that they would not interfere at all with the learning teaching process. The scheme has been in operation over the last about two decades. Although beset with a number of deficiencies, it was a landmark step where assistance for teaching some of the important modem subjects was provided in the shape of teachers and infrastructure, including teaching aids.

The next step obviously should have been an evaluation of the functioning of the scheme and removal of defects. Prominent among the deficiencies was the expectation that one teacher could teach five modern subjects comprising Maths, sciences, English, Hindi and social studies. Moreover, the quality of teachers provided and the emoluments sanctioned were inadequate. The present writer had conducted a sample survey at the instance of H.R.D. It should have been followed up. Instead of doing that the authorities preferred a kneejerk action and sought to establish a Central Madrasa Board which dangled before the Madrasas the bait of substantial assistance. In their unwarranted zeal they could not assess that Muslims in general and Madrasas in particular were very sensitive about the total independence of their religious institutions. Nor was the instance of Madrasa Boards in the States encouraging. In sum, the Government displayed more valour than discretion in their venture relating to the Central Madrasa Board. The Board’s proposed composition makes it hidebound and provides loopholes for government’s interference.

It is therefore time that instead of prolonging the suspense, agony and unease of madrasas the Government rolled back an unwise and unnecessary step, and left to the community’s discretion reforms in religious education. Changes in stance are already being effected through the H.R.D.’s scheme relating to strengthening of moral values through education which is being implemented for the benefit of madrasas by Hamdard Education Society. The provision of computers to madrasas has also helped in modernisation.

[The writer, a renowned educationist former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University is presently Chancellor of Hamdard University.]