When Assam Govt Decides To Shut down Madrasas Muslims Agree on Madrasa Modernisation
By S. Arshad, New Age
Islam
16 October
2020
There is an
adage in Persian: When one is asked to die, he agrees on falling sick. This is
exactly the situation with Muslims in Assam where the Assam government has
decided to convert the madrasas (along with Sanskrit Tols) into regular
secondary and higher secondary schools starting November.
Madrasa
teachers oppose closure of madrasas
Photo
contest Guahatiplus
----
There are
614 government-aided madrasas in Assam where Islamic education is imparted. The
decision has created anxiety among the Muslims in general and the Madrasa
management in particular. As the time for the implementation of the decision
approaches fast, madrasa circle has been giving out desperate reactions.
Most vocal
is the Badruddin Ajmal led AIUDF, which has opposed the closing down of
government-aided madrasas. Most of the madrasas in Assam are run by
Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind ( Mahmood Madani group) with which Maulana Badruddin Ajmal
is associated. Therefore, madrasas provide AIUDF its mass base and vote bank.
Now that
the madrasas are going to be shut down, the religious leaders and
representatives of madrasas have agreed on modernisation of madrasas. MLA
Rafiqul Islam said that it was not true that madrasas imparted only religious
education. General subjects are also taught in madrasas.
An imam of
a mosque said, " If any change in syllabus is needed, the government can
do it. Currently modern subjects like computer science is also taught in
madrasas."
This is a
fact that for decades, the religious leaders opposed the introduction of
sciences and English in madrasas. Even if they introduced computers in madrasas
on government pressure as part of the five-year plan, the madrasas did not give
much importance to teaching computer science. Computers provided by the
government lay unused there.
But when
the Assam government decided to close down madrasas, the madrasa
representatives have started saying that if the government wants to modify the
madrasa syllabus, they have no objection to it, but it should not close down
madrasas.
The madrasa
education in Assam was started in 1780 when the British government discouraged
Islamic seminaries. These madrasas were centres of pure Islamic education,
which excluded sciences and English from its syllabus. Madrasas did not change
or modify their syllabus with the requirements of the time and students
graduating from the madrasas fell behind in the race of development. Even after
the independence, the successive governments tried to modernise the madrasas,
but the religious section considered the government’s efforts a conspiracy and
an interference in the religious affairs of Muslims.
But now
that the government has finally taken tbe decision to convert the madrasas into
regular schools the religious leadership has agreed to modernisation of
madrasas. But it is now too late.
Since the
Muslims of Assam cannot reverse the decision of the government, they should
take this decision positively and turn this crisis into an opportunity (Shar Me Khair Ka Pehlu). Muslims have
always complained, and rightly so, that there is a dearth of schools and
colleges in Muslim minority areas. And because of this their children cannot
complete schooling. Now that the madrasas are going to be converted into
schools and higher secondary schools, the minority community will get 614+
schools and higher secondary schools in their locality where their children
will get modern education including computer literacy and English. The Higher
secondary schools can later be upgraded to colleges, which will only contribute
to the educational development of the Muslims. As for the basic religious
education which is mandatory for every Muslim, it can be imparted to them at
home or in private madrasas which the government does not want to disturb.
In this
modern era when competition is tough and a student has to be taught all the
modern subjects including English to prove his worth in the society, modern
schools are the need of the Muslim community, which has dismal representation
in bureaucracy and private jobs. Therefore, Muslims of Assam should turn this
crisis into opportunity for the sake of the educational development of the
community.
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