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Friday 2 October 2009

Hindus are making beeline for Madrassa Education in Bengal and Bihar




I had one semi research work on Madrasha Education which got published two years in reputed Bengali Guwahati journal 'Ninth Column' . Where I had shown that Madrashas were only educational institutes where Non-upper caste Hindu's got education throughout the so-called Middle ages of Indian History. Great Hindu Indian Reformer Raja Rammohan Roy also was an Madrasha alumni. Even our own Century old Jamiul Ulum Madrasha of Dibrugarh Had good numbers of Hindu students till the 2nd world war. It's only recent Media Created prejudice that we think Madrasha had nothing to do with education. These are only breading ground of terrorist. Here I'm presenting one news on How Hindu students are Showing new interest in Madrasha education
 Sri  Rajen Barua an US based NRI and Chairman of FASS wrote on Assmnet Yahoo group :

 Dear Sushanta

 This is very eye opening news to many of us.

It is also a news to me that Raja Ram Mohon Roy was educated in Madrassa. I think it is with the coming of the British that Indians started to look at ourselves more as Hindus and Muslims as well as various Hindu castes. They were the perpetuators of stus quo. Today it is the mainly the Hindutva that is creating the anti Islam prejudice. I am very much interested to learn more on the issue and about the education in the Madrassas. Can you forward me the article your wrote on your research on Madrassa education.

 Thanks

 Rajen Barua

Wahid Saleh from Holand wrote:


Dear Rajen,


 You might be interested in the following news clippings informing Hindus students educated in the Madrassas.

   1.. The Brahmo samaj blogpost mentions that
   “Rammohun started his formal education in he village pathshala where he learned Bengali and some Sankrit and Persian. Later he is said to have studied Persian and Arabic in a madrasa in Patna and after that he was sent to Benares (Kashi) for learning the intricacies of Sanskrit and Hindu scripture, including the Vedas and Upanishads.”http://brahmosamaj.blogspot.com/
   2.. Hindus opt for a madrasa education in UP
   http://www.hindustantimes.com/News/india/Hindus-opt-for-a-madrasa-education-in-UP/Article1-376359.aspx
   3.. What role for madrassas that teach Hindus?
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4829140.stm
   4.. More Hindus than Muslims in some West Bengal madrassas!
   http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/6207.html
   5.. West Bengal’’s madrassas attracting Hindu students
   http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/west-bengals-madrassas-attracting-hindu-students_100149112.html
   6.. Hindu students take to madrassa education
   http://www.sanghparivar.org/blog/rkm/hindu-students-take-to-madrassa-education


 Wahid Saleh

 E-Mail: w.saleh@indiawijzer.nl

 Web: www.indiawijzer.nl

 The Dutch portal with India related information
 Coming together is a beginning | Keeping together is progress | Working together is success

In response I wrote again :


    It was in Madrassas where the Arab renaissance once took shapes and afterwards  it influenced the European to give shape their own renaissance . The First Modern Indian Reformer was actually not Rajarammohan Roy. rather Said Waliullah of Delhi. He was alive in the first part of the eighteenth  century. He first translated Koran in Urdu.He was for widow remarriage. He faught against polygamy.   He fought for the rights of the poor merchants and artisans of Delhi streets. He once organised them and rallied to the emperor   and submitted the memorandum to lessen taxes. According to him Muhhammad didn't came to show the Path of heaven rather he fought for the oppressed poor of then Arab. 
I do support whatever Sri Raren Barua has said ,"I think Indian students should learn Persian and Arabic in school to get a balanced outlook about our culture.
That way Madrassas may be a way out." We know little about the So-called Middle age ( Practically it's and European term, We in Indian have no Middle Age like them ) of India because  we forgot Persi and Arbi. We can not read hundreds of scientifically and philosophically rich texts and scriptures of those years.

 Jonab Wahid Saleh has done gret job by providing some more link about the topic. I hope our friends here will be enriched and  think on Madrassas anotherway. Whenever a Media Report give a call for the closer of this or those Madrass , be sure that they are calling for through away those helpless child who has none to take care in this world. 
Sushanta 


And Now Here is an Memorandum
Maul. Badruddin Ajmal on proposed Central Madrasa Board




No.MBA/EDU/1/2009 Date:  03-10-2009


From: M. Badruddin Ajmal
MP, Dhubri, Assam


To: Shri Kapil Sibal
Hon’ble Union Minister 
Human Resource Development
Government of India
New Delhi-110115
Sir,
I am in recipient of your letter dated Sept. 11, 2009 to attend a discussion on the proposal of a Central Madrasa Board (CMB) by your esteemed ministry. Due to some very important pre-occupations I will personally miss this discussion. Nevertheless, I penned down my views on this crucial issue and I wish my views are considered during the decision making process.   
       
1. The sincerity of HRD ministry and UPA government must not be doubted on the proposal of a Central Madrasa Board (CMB). Of late, the ministry has made it clear that it has no plan to interfere in religious or theological subjects and would just try to incorporate science, mathematic and relevant modern subjects into existing madrasa curriculum. 


To my understanding, the CMB will supervise madrasas at all levels, link up with the open schooling system for teaching in modern subjects and match with standard quality; and would make regulations for affiliation or disaffiliation of a particular madrasa in to the proposed board. The proposal is wise and sounds beneficial for Muslims children but it has genuine oppositions form people directly or indirectly volunteering madrasa education system for last 150 years in India. And without positive consideration of their views a CMB or any government aided programme for madrasas cannot reach to the real beneficiaries.   


2. It is the history of madrasas that they have always been independent, even under Muslim rulers. According to a research conducted by Markazul Ma’arif Education & Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai in 2003 which was later published in two separate books ‘Madrasa Education its Strength and Weaknesses’ and ‘Madrasa Education Frameworks’ (2006) right from their inception in medieval period, all big and small Madrasas have enjoyed full autonomy in all aspects of their functioning. They have been independent in framing their own curricula, using their own modes of teaching and training their students internally in their own ways. Even in the Mughal period in India when many of them received grants and endowments from the rulers and nobles they were never brought under the control of a common regulating or examining body. Therefore, it is understandable that even today ulama of India will not accept any aid from the government, whatsoever, to run madrasas and will continue in their traditional style. They will not offer even proper hearing to the idea of direct government involvement in their functioning. 


3. The much discussed Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee rightly reveals in its report that out of total school going Muslim Children only 4% join madrasas in the primary level which includes those attending government aided madrasas too. With high drop out in madrasas and with the deduction of children attending government aided madrasas where state prescribed curriculum is followed the actual ratio of Muslim children attending non-aided madrasas in our country stands around 1.5 percent only as revealed by surveys conducted by Muslim NGOs. Moreover, the very recent HRD ministry-sponsored survey by IMRB’s Social and Rural Research Institute puts the number of out of school children at 81 lakh or 4.22% of children in the age group of 6 to 13 years nation wide.


Despite reductions, the percentage of out of school children among the Muslims (7.67%), Scheduled Castes (5.96%) and Scheduled Tribes (5.6%) continues to be much higher than the national average of 4.22%. The gap between the percentage of out of school children among SCs and Sts and the national average has been substantially reduced – in 2005, when the national average was 6.94%, the percentage of out of school children among Scheduled Castes was at 8.17%, while among Scheduled Tribes it was 9.54%. 


While there has been a reduction in the percentage of out of school children among Muslims, the gap between the national average of out of school children and that among Muslim has risen marginally. It was at 9.97% among Muslims in 2005, when the national average was 6.94%. While in 2009, the gap is marginally higher by 0.42% — among Muslims, out of school children account for 7.67%, when the national average is nearly halfway below at 4.22%.


Now it is up to us – the law and policy makers of this nation to choose our priority wisely. Should we go first for a quality-check of 1.5% children who are by all means under a system of education and will fulfill the criteria of being lettered or to rush to manage even minimum standard of schooling for 7.67 % Muslim children who are still out of school and will remain unlettered without proper government aided planning and its implementation? I think to attend the later is wiser and more urgent.          


4. It is notable that all leading non-governmental madrasas like – Darul Uloom Deoband and Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow, religious organizations like – Jamait Ulama-I Hind and All India Ulama Council and a majority of Muslim religious leaders have already rejected the proposed CMB before this fresh move by your esteemed ministry.


The Muslim community leaders have rejected the proposal as they fear this will allow unnecessary government interference in the madrasa system. Moreover, we do have government aided madrasa boards in at least 10 states of our country where madrasas are affiliated and aided by the state governments. At present the conditions of these government aided madrasas – education, infrastructure and staff salary – are far worse than those non-aided madrasas. Especially the theological aspects of these govt.-aided madrasas are very apathetic. In addition to this I am frequent to face arguments during intra-community meetings such as ‘If the government is really concerned about the educational welfare of the Muslims, then it should give proportionate reservation to Muslim students in all central universities’. Some even put straight questions like “Why is the government not setting up schools, colleges, medical colleges and ITIs in the Muslim dominated areas if it is really open for the educational development of the Muslim in the country?" There can be counter arguments too but to me it is still not the time for a Central Madrasa Board for non-aided non-governmental (quami) madarasas in our country.


5. As I mentioned under No. 1 above that the proposal of the CMB is wise and I believe it will be applicable with certain prerequisites measures taken by the HRD ministry. I have a detail plan for modernization of madrasa curriculum and we have been successfully imparting modern education to madrasa graduates since 1994 which has been largely accepted by both Muslim intellectuals and religious leaders and proven beneficial for the madrasa students. Some of our students are already Ph.D holders others have passed NET competitive exams and appeared in UPSC exams besides, many of them are working as good journalists, English writers and good administrators in India and aboard. Scholars from Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai can be requested with your consent to give a presentation for HRD ministry on its on going project on ‘madrasa modernization’ which got considerable coverage in the mainstream media too. However the pre-requisite measures, to my understanding, to be taken by the HRD ministry for non-governmental Central Madrasa Board (CMB) are as follow: 


a. The HRD ministry should pay urgent attention towards the out of school Muslim children before everything else. I strongly believe that if the present UPA government can manage to bring the percentage of out of school Muslim children down from 7.67% to even 4 % in this five year tenure, it will be a delighted gift for both the community and the nation. Our first target should to be to come out of the darkness of illiteracy and then gradually we can improve quality of education too. 


b. HRD ministry should first resolve to make the proposed CMB for government aided madrasas for a targeted time period, bring them under one umbrella as in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and facilitate equally standard education for madrasas in all states to set an example against government aided madrasas’ negative reputation. It will surely encourage students and their parents to enroll in government aided madrasas if not non-aided madrasa management, to say the least.


c. There are thousands of primary and pre-primary schools run by Muslims NGOs or local bodies of masjids across the country and most of them are following syllabus proscribed by the state governments in addition to maktab (elementary Islamic) education. These schools be adopted first by the state government under the SSA or by the central government under the UEE and then manage standard primary education through government aid. It will avail a solid educational foundation for all Muslim children and will make an opportune to the next general secondary standard madrasa students to pursue their advanced education either with government aided institutes or with non-government aided ones – madrasas. Generally they will prefer the former owing to the future prospects of their carrier.


d. As stated above that according to Muslim NGOs only 1.5% Muslim children are completing madrasa education nationwide and ulama argue that this small number is even not enough to fulfill the religious need of the community alone. I think government should effectively plan for 98.5% Muslim children and rest will be automatically updated to match with the community demands.        


e. The government should avoid direct involvement in the functioning of independence madrasas by all means until a successful and transparent experiment has been done with aided madrasa board. On the other hand an NGO – Government partnership project aiming at the targets set by the proposed CMB can be initiated without further delay. These partner NGOs will work as bridge between madrasas and government and will amicably be able to implement mutually accepted and desired changes or development in both curriculum and methodology of madrasa education system. Which will gradually be taken by the Central Madrasa Board and the NGOs will be replaced by the CMB members in later stage.  


With best regards 




Yours truly,






(M. Badruddin Ajmal)                            
citation 




Mukul Mahata Wrote again on Assamnet
From: mc mahant
To: assam assamnet
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:23:41 +0530
Subject: Re: [Assam]assamDigest, Vol 51, Issue 7




 Sushanta  wrote:


> If Madrassas can produce enlightening leaders like Raja Ram Mohon Roywhom
> India call Father of Modern India, thatis great.
> I think Indian students should learnPersian and Arabic in school to get a
> balanced outlook about our culture.
> That way Madrassas may be a way out.
---
--- 
In 1944-'50   I was a lucky student of Namti High School- tillsomebody burnt the school down in mid- 1950 .The revolutionary legacy of KhagenBarbarua- -our great teacher could not be tolerated by Jawaharlal's goonsworking on direct orders from John Fostr Dulles.Our respected Abdur RowfSir  was a versatile and prolific teacher.Hetaught not only  Farsi and Arabic( bothso different ) to  our Gowria brothers/sisters  but Geography and English History regularly.Andwhen some teacher was on sick leave he took that class--any subject-- and told us short stories  from Koran-or Bible- or Gita and made us tellit back  to the class.
I do not recall( I wasfar away) how /when  there was the totalseparation to  Higher Secondary  & Madrassa. In Namti Chariali we knewthere was a low key Madrassa  attached tothe local mosque. Language-Culture-Humanism  these should be together  and leftto  guided choice.I learnt a smatteringof Sanskrit--.  I remembered some " Cockand Bull" stories from Panchatantra. I do not remember somebody/anybodyasking me Which?-- Farsi OR  Sanskrit--  should I learn  throughout.Now we hear Dilli issuing a firman'Compulsory Hindi   till end of HighSchool'. Why not Russian -Mandarin-?
mm
I Responded:




Dear
Mukulda,
Most of your generationhad such marvelous experiences in schools and society as a whole.We're deprived of such a harmonious society.  Since wehave inherited  Madrassa and tool systems of education fromour feudal past there is no question of separation ofHigher secondary and Madrassa education at all. Rather we have onenewly constructed Madrassa Edcucation Board in Assam, which actuallyget controlled  by SEBA and AHSEC . 


I rgreat that I can notforward my write up here. But, I can forward two links herelike yesterdays one :


Sushanta Kar


And Mukulda Daid Again:


mikemahant@hotmail.com:
sender time Sent at 21:21 (GMT+05:30). Current time there: 21:24. ✆
to pragyan.tsc50@gmail.com
date 5 October 2009 21:21
subject RE: Hindu Students are making beeline for Madrassaa
mailed-by hotmail.com
hide details 21:21 (4 minutes ago)

 Dear Sushanta,

    You are the right material to lead a pack OF INTELLECTUALS  to remould Educational reforms in Oxom.


Swajatyer Ahomikar Theke Mukti Daner Sikshai Ajker Diner Pradhan Siksha: Rabindranath





Look after your humanistic self.

Assam has lots of PEOPLE but few MEN .

Assam will need you soon.

Mukulda



I repleid:

Oh ! No Mukulda ! 
You have Said  much about me. Just bless that I can stay here where I'm today. 
I hope here we have many of such man. Who are maintaining a low key for the time being. I'm proud that I've get such elders like you here, who are constantly helping me to enrich my own self. At least Here I don't feel lonely. 


Sushanta 

















5 comments:

Hitesh said...

This is an inspiring news....We must appreciate this. This shows we as common people don't have any issue with 'Hindu' and 'Muslim' or Christian...but we are victim of political game....

Hope Muslim,christian and Hindu works together for social welfare ....

Jai Hind.Jai Bharat....

Jai Bhagat Singh....

Hitesh Kalita
Washington D.C

Hifzur said...

Susantada,s creative, patriotic and secular thoughts and writtings always fascinated me. His one head line make me busy for one week to one month. this is a good and articulate work by the writter. Its not only inspiring but also indiactes how we have been used by our politician in the name of cast, creed, religion and Languages. lastly, i can say the lines of my fav. S vivekanada.. Jibe prem kore jai jon sai jon se biche eshor......

thanks susanta da for this wonderful master piece .......

Sincerely,
Hifzur

Sushanta Kar said...

Hifhur and all other friends,
Here I'm pasting another good site on the tpoic:
http://www.madrasareforms.blogspot.com/
Yoginder Sikand is one of the most dainamic writer on Islam and Minorities right in Modern India

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