Central Madrasa Board: Its concerns and advantages

Urdu Section

24 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

Central Madrasa Board: Its concerns and advantages

The opposition of Central Madrasa Board is needless. It's not in favour of Muslim community. This board will obviously help in the development of Muslims. The present government is minority-favouring and they are trying to establish a greatly needed Board on the basis of Sachchar Committee recommendations. Unfortunately, that is being opposed by none other than the Muslims intellectuals and scholars of the country themselves. It will help our madrasa students to acquire Islamic and modern education, at the same time enabling them to reach to higher government posts. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had founded Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1857 with the aim and ambition of the welfare of Muslim community. It is presently world-famous with the name Aligarh Muslim University for the great service it is doing for the welfare of the community. His effort too, was vehemently opposed at the initial stage by the then Islamic scholars and educationists. -- Mahmood Alam Siddiqui (Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami) URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1975 -------   Central Madrasa Board: Its concerns and advantages by Mahmood Alam Siddiqui Translated from Urdu by Raihan Nezami   The UPA government decided to form Central Madarsa Board for the educational enhancement of Muslims on basis of high level Sachchar Committee's finding and recommendation that the educational, economic, social and political condition of Muslims is only slightly better than Dalits (formerly called untouchables) and worse than Hindus, even in Backward category. The responsibility of its formation was given to Mr. Sohail Ejaz Siddiqui, the chairman of Central Commission for Minority Educational Institutions.   He took great initiative and organized many meetings and seminars. The meeting he organized on 3rd Sep.2006 is especially notable. In this meeting he invited the managers, secretaries and office-bearers of numerous madrasas from all over India to express their opinion on this issue. Later on, he submitted the report to Mr. Arjun Singh, the then minister for human resources and development on 21st Apr.2007 with certain recommendations, given by the Islamic scholars for its formation. This report possessed positive assertion and support promised by the maximum number of the scholars of different sects and schools of thought. Mr. Rabey Husni Nadwi, the president of Muslim Personal law Board and the manager of Darul Uloom, Nadwatul Olama expressed his stern opposition to the proposal on 23rd April 2008. Earlier too, Muslim Personal Law Board had expressed its grave concern through a letter addressed to Central Commission for Minority Educational Institutions on 26th Nov.2006.   Mr. Sohail Ejaz Siddiqui continued with his efforts for its formation in spite of severe and ruthless disagreement from different quarters. Many Islamic scholars and intellectuals including me not only appreciated his mission but also supported the noble task by their literary efforts to arouse awareness among the masses by clarifying the nature and purpose of the proposed Central Madrasa Board. I penned some articles related to Central Madrasa Board, such as "The Formation of Central Madrasa Board", "Muslim Personal Law Board and Central Madrasa Board", "The Possession of Islamic Madrasas" and "Central Madrasa Board – its doubts and advantages" published in Qaumi Awaz, Rashtriya Sahara daily etc. The English translation of articles was sent to the ministry for human resources and development. Mr. Arjun Singh, the HRD minister stated in Feb. 2009 that UPA government will table the Central Madrasa Board Bill very soon in the parliament. They will try to consider the possibility that the certificates of madrasas, attached to Central Madrasa Board are given equal status as certificates of CBSE.   The process of formation of Central Madrasa Board was postponed due to general elections held in April/May 2009. Later on, after UPA came back to power, the new minister for human resources and development Mr. Kapil Sibbal included the programme of formation of Central Madrasa Board with educational act "Right to Education" in 100 days action plan. After finishing the programme of education act, he called on a meeting of Muslim MPs from both houses who were 18 in number. Many members agreed to the proposal of Central Madrasa Board, at the same time some of them consented proposing some addition and rectification. Some MPs flatly opposed to the proposal in which Mr. Badruddin Ajmal of Assam and Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi of Hyderabad are prominent. Mr. Kapil Sibbal briefed the media after the meeting. He said that the government had no intention of interfering in the functioning of madrasas and they are also not in a hurry. We will establish the Central Madrasa Board only after the Muslim community approves this proposal unanimously. The MPs who had suggested some addition or deletion have been asked to submit their proposal draft within a month. The UPA government have taken some corrective measures to improve the standard of madrasas and bring them to mainstream of education. Their sincere effort is quite praiseworthy and it's welcome news for those 4% students who study in madrasas.   The opposition of Central Madrasa Board is needless. It's not in favour of Muslim community. This board will obviously help in the development of Muslims. The present government is minority-favouring and they are trying to establish a greatly needed Board on the basis of Sachchar Committee recommendations. Unfortunately, that is being opposed by none other than the Muslims intellectuals and scholars of the country themselves. It will help our madrasa students to acquire Islamic and modern education, at the same time enabling them to reach to higher government posts. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had founded Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1857 with the aim and ambition of the welfare of Muslim community. It is presently world-famous with the name Aligarh Muslim University for the great service it is doing for the welfare of the community. His effort too, was vehemently opposed at the initial stage by the then Islamic scholars and educationists.   How much wrong were they? It can be justified with the importance and significance of Aligarh Muslim University today.   The syllabus being taught in madrasas at present belongs to the Mughal period. It had been prepared by Mullah Nizamuddin according to the needs of that time. It cannot fulfil the scientific and technological needs of present time. The ancient syllabus of madrasas has been edited, altered or changed from Egypt to Saudi Arabia in all the Arab and Islamic countries to fulfil the requirements of modern e-age under the guidance of government agencies.   But God knows, why are the Indian scholars rigid and opposing the improvement of madrasa education. The 4% Muslim students who study in madrasas belong to the downtrodden and deprived class of the country. They are unable to find their living after completing their studies in madrasas. One of the main suspicions, on whose ground the formation of Central Madrasa Board is being opposed, is that the government intends to interfere in the functioning of madrasas and affect its individuality and stability. It will demolish the very existence of madrasas, it is said. Before talking about these dangers, it is better to introduce Central Madrasa Board and its aims and purposes in detail. It will dispense the darkness of suspicion from the minds of our learned scholars.   The proposed Central Madrasa Board will be an autonomous body on the line of UGC. Its prominent aim is to collect and combine all the scattered small-scale madrasas under a uniform system to maintain coordination and uniformity. The most important purpose is to implement a nationally acknowledged modern syllabus acceptable by all government and public sectors in order to enable madrasa students acquire national recognition. It will help them to obtain higher posts in government and non-government sectors similar to any student studied in any board, enabling them to overcome their financial constraints and attain a respectable social life to help their community and nation. The greatest benefit of Central Madrasa Board is that the affiliation will be voluntary and not forceful. On being attached to it, the madrasa teachers too, will get full-fledged remuneration equivalent to central government teachers. Also, the central government will provide a consolidated heavy sum of amount to madrasas for their development and management without any interference in the internal functioning as the members of Muslims Personal Law Board and prominent scholars assume.   The Central Madrasa Board will introduce or rectify the scientific and modern subjects only in the syllabus, without interfering in the Islamic subjects and that too, will be decided by the consensus of majority of members in the board who will be the representatives of Muslims and madrasas as it is obviously mentioned in the draft of Central Madrasa Board Act 2009 given below.   1. The duty of Central Madrasa Board will be to take such steps which will be suitable for the inter-religion harmony through the all-round development and education with a compact system of madrasas. The board will take the following steps for the performance of its duties.   (a) It can monitor the central and Islamic concept of madrasa education emphasizing upon the liberal, spiritual and practical realization of Islam without interfering in the Islamic portions of madrasa syllabus (Central Madrasa Board Bill – 2009, page-14).    Further, it will not interfere in the financial matters of madrasas. But it will enquire of the sum given by the board for the development of the modern scientific subjects and other activities. If any of the affiliated madrasas has any doubt or suspicion over its utility, it can immediately detach from the Central Madrasa Board by simply expressing its desire to National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions and stop taking financial assistance   There is another significant point of opposition. Why is the government worried for the 4% madrasa students only? Why are they not planning for the betterment of rest of 96% students? This vague argument is due to lack of information. Actually, according to Sachchar Committee report, 66% of Muslim students study in government schools, 30% students in private schools and the rest 4% students in local madrasas. The education imparted in government and private schools is related to mainstream syllabus, but the traditional madrasa education is not related to mainstream education. That is why Sachchar Committee had recommended bringing madrasa education to the level of nationally recognized standard where 4% deprived Muslim students study. The recommendations are given below:   I. A particular system should be created to attach madrasas to a Higher Secondary Board; so that the madrasa students can join the mainstream education after finishing their courses. II. The madrasa certificates should also be considered equivalent to other boards' certificates and eligible for admission in any national level institution for higher studies, so that madrasa students can benefit to the maximum. They should be given a chance to try for admission in such courses where written admission test are conducted. III. The madrasa certificates should be considered fit for eligibility to participate in the competitive exams of civil services, defence services and banking etc. Basically such a system should be initiated that madrasa students too, get a chance of employment and can be motivated to participate in mainstream activities. This initiative should be taken within the present system of competitive examinations (Sachchar Committee, Urdu report, and page-244).   The UPA government has not only drafted a rough sketch for the establishment of Central Madrasa Board on the recommendations of Sachchar Committee, but also wishes to realize these recommendations in the form of Central Madrasa Board. The ironical part is that this noble intention is being opposed by none other than the Muslims themselves. URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1975