Muslim politics aside, madrasas must impart modern education
Facts speak for themselves. Consider these:
- 60 per cent of urban Muslims never attend school
- 0.8 per cent of Muslims in rural areas are graduates
- 3.1 per cent of Muslims in urban areas are graduates
- 4 per cent of school-going Muslims attend madrasas
- 3 per cent of literate Muslims obtain graduation degrees
These are some of the findings of the Sachar committee collated by the India Today research team before my show. Of course statistics, like above, some specific to Maharashtra and some about the entire country, throw up some disturbing facts about education and Muslims, like a factoid that 44 per cent of rural Muslims end up working as agricultural labourers because they neither own land nor are they educated enough to work in the skilled urban sector.
In the light of these heart-breaking realities, what should one make of the Maharashtra government move to declare madrasa students as "out of school" students? Is this anti-Muslim or is it an attempt to bring them into the fold of mainstream education? There are about 1.48 lakh students studying in some 1,889 madrasas across Maharashtra.
The state minorities affairs minister Dilip Kamble told India Today the aim was to bring madrasa students in the mainstream of education and that those opposing this move are actually anti-Muslim.
On the face of it, what can be wrong if apart from learning about the Holy Quran, students also learn English, mathematics, science and social studies? Will education not help solve some of the problems mentioned above? Won’t it help young Muslims get a better job, bigger avenues for growth and a better life?
On India Today several Muslim leaders and scholars said the job of a madrasa is predominantly to prepare Muslims to be religious preachers and it is wrong for the government to impose science, maths, English, and other subjects approved by the Maharashtra education board, to give aid to the madrasas.
The spokespersons for the government countered the claim insisting that some political parties and leaders are happier keeping the Muslims uneducated, in ghettos to be mere vote banks. Let us consider this on merits. Education can never hurt. And knowledge of maths, science, English and social studies as approved by the Board will only benefit the students. But does the Maharashtra government have a roadmap and teachers for 1,889 madrasas to impart this education?
Some Muslims in Maharashtra see a pattern to the development. First, the beef ban which they claim predominantly hit only Muslims, then the decision of the Maharashtra government to moth ball five per cent reservation for Muslims in educational institutions and finally this move to consider those madrasa students who do not impart education according to curriculum as non-school students.
Is this more fear or fear-mongering? There are those who stand to gain by keeping Muslims in a constant state of unease. How many of those who say government should not interfere in madrasa education actually send their own children to madrasas? It is not a case like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir based terrorist Syed Salahuddin requesting the government of India to help his son get admission to a medical college but wants other Kashmiri children to pick up the gun for jihad?
Education should be available to all – if some madrasas want to only impart Dini (religious education) and not Duniyavi (worldly education) good luck to them. But the others should be free to take advantage of the government policy of getting all support, finances and other aid to impart education based on the set curriculum.
The Sachar committee, too, spoke of linking madrasas to mainstream education boards. Let there be widespread reforms in this sector. Uniformity of syllabus, books, and curriculum will benefit students nationwide. Board certification will help get admission to colleges.
My Muslim friends proudly tell me that one of the makers of modern India, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, was educated at a madrasa. Let that list be long and illustrious!