The Dismal State of Muslim Education in India
By
Moin Qazi, New Age Islam
9 October
2023
Despite
very few bright spots, the state of Muslim education in India is dismal. Of all
India's religious communities, Muslims have the highest illiteracy rate
(42.7%), the lowest share of people in work (33%), and the lowest level of
enrolment in higher education (4.4%) – even though they comprise 14% of India's
The
education system in India is diverse, with various religions, cultures, and
languages, but it is not always equitable. Muslims, India's most significant
religious minority, have long struggled for educational opportunities. Muslim
education in India has a long, rich history that dates back to the medieval
period. Muslims were among the first to establish formal educational
institutions in India, such as madrasas and schools of Islamic learning. One of
the earliest madrasas in India was the Madrasa-e-Nizamia in Hyderabad,
founded in 1876. It offered courses in Islamic law, theology, and other
subjects, and it became a model for other madrasas throughout India.
During the
British colonial period, Muslim education in India faced many challenges,
including a lack of resources and limited access to formal education. However,
Muslim leaders like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan played a significant role in promoting
education among Muslims. In 1875, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan founded the Muhammadan
Anglo-Oriental College, which later became Aligarh Muslim University. The
university aimed to provide modern education to Muslims and promote their
social and economic advancement. Today, Aligarh Muslim University is one of India's
most prestigious educational institutions, offering various courses in various
disciplines.
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Also
Read: How Madrasas Obliterate Muslim Educational Futures
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Basic Education
The AISHE
Survey 2020-21 presents a dismal picture of the community. At a time when the
enrolment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes
(OBC) in higher education improved by 4.2%, 11.9% and 4%, respectively,
compared with 2019-20, the Muslim community's enrolment declined by 8%,
numbering around 1,79,000 students. This unprecedented decline points to the
relative economic impoverishment of the community, which forces its talented
students to pursue earning opportunities after completing schooling rather than
enrolling in higher education, beginning at the graduation level.
The survey presents a bright picture of the
OBC community, which accounts for 36% of the country's total enrolment in
higher education. The SCs bring up another 14%. The two communities cover
nearly 50% of the seats in universities and colleges.
Higher Education
Muslims
also face several challenges in pursuing higher education in India. The
representation of Muslims in higher education is relatively low, with only 4.9
per cent of students enrolled in universities. The under-representation of
Muslims in higher education may be because of factors like lack of access to
quality education and financial constraints.
The poor
entry-level presence of Muslims in pursuing higher education is mirrored by the
equally bleak presence of Muslim teachers in higher education institutions. At
an all-India level, teachers in the General Category account for 56% of all
teachers. OBC, SC and ST teachers comprise another 32%, 9% and 2.5% of the
teachers, respectively. Muslims constitute only about 5.6% of the teachers.
Regarding
gender, there are 75 female teachers and 100 male teachers. Female OBC, SC and
ST teachers are doing better here than their Muslim counterparts. At the same
time, 71% of female OBC teachers, 75% of female ST teachers, and only 59 female
Muslim teachers for every 100 male Muslim teachers.
Interestingly,
Muslims and other minorities have more female students than male students,
pointing to a gradual uplift of the women of the minority communities. It also
means the pressure to earn a living at the earliest on the community's male
members.
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Also Read: The Chopped Hand a Symbol of Malignancy of Muslim
Education System
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Myriad Challenges
The
challenges Muslim education faces in India are complex and require a
multi-faceted approach. Lack of access to quality education and poverty is the
primary challenge faced by Muslim students in India. More resources and support
for minority education are required to address these challenges. Despite
various government initiatives, the status of Muslim education in India remains
a matter of concern. There is a need for more rigorous efforts to address the
disparities and challenges faced by Muslim students. Improving the education of
Muslims in India will benefit the community and contribute to the country's
overall development.
Without
bringing Muslims at par with another segment of society, the education
objectives for all in India cannot be realized. Without getting girls at par
with boys, the dream of education for all in India cannot be achieved, which is
also valid for Muslim education in India, given that the education of Muslim
girls in school education is an important area that has gained significant
attention recently. Historically, Muslim girls in India have faced various
educational barriers, including poverty, social and cultural norms, and a lack
of access to schools.
Though the
constitutionality of using religion as a criterion for selecting
"backward" classes has not been explicitly challenged, the government
and courts have rejected its application in practice for three main reasons:
(i) it was incompatible with secularism, (ii) in the absence of a caste system
among Muslims, there was no overt social discrimination suffered by them to
justify special measures; and (iii) it would undermine national unity.
The Critical
Lacunae
The heart
of the problem is the predominance of an indoctrinatory approach to learning
and teaching about Islam. This restricts Islamic education to a system in which
the entire emphasis is on the uncritical transmission of a revered set of
texts. This form of Islamic education is exploited by extremist recruiters in
both majority and minority Muslim societies. Islam has a rich heritage of
critical education and shares with Abrahamic faiths the prophetic educational
teachings that call for continuous self-examination so that the faithful remain
balanced in their religious observance.
We need to
challenge indoctrinatory practices, particularly on the internet. It is not
that madrasas are redundant for Muslims. However, they must be oriented to
modern teaching and learning methods to help Muslims join the mainstream. They
must provide young Muslims with Islamic literacy that integrates reflective
thinking skills and intercultural understanding to help them engage
intelligently and confidently with their faith heritage and broader society.
Unfortunately, neither Muslim communities nor educational policymakers have
shown interest in developing alternative educational models.
The kind of
inclusive religious education provided in many community schools would
complement such an approach by enabling students, including young Muslims, to
develop a contextual understanding of Islam and its contemporary expressions.
Instead of surveillance, schools need to encourage collaboration between
teachers and Muslim educators. It would help pupils be better informed about
Islam and build competence among Muslim students to challenge rigid interpretations
of their religion.
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The Complex
Way Forward
The
challenges Muslim education faces in India are complex and require a
multi-faceted approach. Lack of access to quality education and poverty is the
primary challenge faced by Muslim students in India. More resources and support
for minority education are required to address these challenges. Despite
various government initiatives, the status of Muslim education in India remains
a matter of concern. There is a need for more rigorous efforts to address the
disparities and challenges faced by Muslim students. Improving the education of
Muslims in India will benefit the community and contribute to the country's
overall development.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also Read: Muslim Educational Dropout Is Higher Than the
National Average
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Without
bringing Muslims at par with another segment of society, the objectives of
education for all in India cannot be realized. Without getting girls at par
with boys, the dream of education for all in India cannot be achieved, which is
also valid for Muslim education in India, given that the teaching of Muslim
girls in school education is an important area that has gained significant
attention recently. Historically, Muslim girls in India have faced various
educational barriers, including poverty, social and cultural norms, and a lack
of access to schools. There is no specialist Muslim teacher-training provision
or community-based oversight of diverse Muslim educational institutions. In
cooperation with the universities and relevant authorities, Muslim communities
need to develop a set of academic benchmarks and standards for teaching Islam
within diverse Muslim educational settings, including madrassas and mosques. A
specialist watchdog could be established to monitor standards, especially for
teaching Islam in prison.
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Moin
Qazi is the author of the bestselling book, Village Diary of a Heretic Banker.
He has worked in the development finance sector for almost four decades.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/state-muslim-education-india/d/130854
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