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Mumbai:
State Government’s attempt to modernize the Madrasas and equip them
with modern education received a severe blow when the heads of
Madrasas in a meeting on Wednesday July 8, 2009 in Mumbai rejected
the government offer for special aid and constitution of a separate
board for them.
The meeting
called by SETU Charitable Trust, the NGO founded by Satish Tirpathi
- former Additional Chief Secretary and coordinated by Dr. Mehmoodur
Rehman - chairman of the special committee for minorities
constituted by Government of Maharashtra was attended by a large
number of Ulema from all across the state. The meeting though had
few voices conditionally supporting the proposal, received strong
opposition from the majority.
“The
proposed Madrasa Board is not acceptable to us. It is better if the
government constitutes a committee comprising of Madrasa heads and
Ulema to look into the details of what actually it wants before
enforcing any decision on us”, Maulana Ghulam Mohd Vastanvi who
heads a chain of Madrasas and colleges across the country said in
the meeting.
Stating
that there is a wide gap between the two drafts of the Madrasa
board, one proposed by the Centre and other by the State, Maulana
Mehmood Dariyabadi said, “Similar questions were raised in a meeting
that was called in 2008 but the Government has not come up with any
explanation till now.”
Observing
that only 4% Muslim children are taking admissions in the Madrasas
and the remaining 96% go to the schools run by Muslims NGOs, Maulana
Dariyabadi asked, “Why the government that does not show any
sympathy towards the Muslim schools and their Managements who run
from one office to another for every small thing, is so restless in
extending an aid to the Madrasas?”
It also
transpired during the meeting that the managements have already
decided to include modern education in their Madrasas, the primary
aim of the government. However fearing the interference from the
government in the syllabus the Madrasa heads decline to receive the
government aid.
“If the
Government’s intention is to include the modern education in the
Madrasas then we have already decided to do so. But the proposed
Madrasa board is vague that makes the intentions of the government
unclear”, said Mufti Huzaifah in the meeting.
Amid the
strong opposition to the government’s proposal for Madrasa Board,
Hafiz Nadeem Siddiquee – President Jamiatul Ulema Maharashtra
proposed, “ If the Government is really interested in helping the
Madrasas, it should first implement its own decision taken in 2004
to provide food grains on subsidized rates.”
Meanwhile,
the manner in which the organisers conducted the meeting is also
receiving widespread criticisms from those present at the venue.
While some of them are terming the whole exercise as a poll gimmick,
others are not ready to let the organizers away so easily for
calling the people without any precise agenda.
“First,
people were angry since the organizers had no specific agenda for
the meeting. Then they found it humiliating when some of them left
the venue even as the discussions were still going on”, says Shabbir
Shakir of Pasban-e-Taleem while speaking to ummid.com.
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