By Manzar Bilal, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: “Madrasas have a glorious history of producing prominent personalities and dignitaries who rendered their yeoman service for the community and the country. Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad are among them whose footsteps are followed today proudly. Government should solve the problems of madrasa teachers so that they could continue their work” said Ashraf Farid, Editor, Qaumi Tanzim Urdu daily, while addressing ‘All Bihar Madrasa and Urdu Convention’ at Urdu Bhawan in Patna yesterday.
To demand salaries and facilities as given to regular school teachers, hundreds of madrasa teachers from different parts of Bihar gathered in the state capital. When both school teachers and madrasa teachers are government employees and doing same work then why they are not given same facilities and salaries, the organizers asked. They also demanded that discrimination between madrasa and school students should also be ended and madrasa students should be given scholarship and free books as school students are provided.
“Bihar government is serious about the problems of madrasa teachers and thinking to give them salaries equivalent to school teachers. We are trying to find out the way for that” said Shahid Ali Khan, Minister for Minority Welfare in Bihar government.
The program was organized jointly by All Bihar Madrasa Teachers Association and Bihar Anjuman Traqqi Urdu.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Qayyum Ansari, Secretary Anjuman Traqqi Urdu, said: “It is regretful that our leaders have failed to raise the issues related to Urdu and Madrasa in legislative houses. So, we should fight our own for our rights otherwise we will not be given our due rights.”
Maulana Zahir-ul-Haq, president All Bihar Madrasa Teachers Association, said: “We have been fighting for the cause of madrasa teachers since 1974. During the regime of late Chief Minister Kirpuri Thakur we got increase in our salaries from Rs. 2 to Rs. 200 because of our continued efforts. But till today there are lots of problems of madrasas and madrasa teachers for that we have to fight united.”
The program was also addressed by Mohammad Irshadullah, Chairman of Bihar Sunni Waqf Board, Saleem Pervez, JD (U) MLC from Saran and Maulana Abul Kalam Qasmi, principal of Madrasa Islamia Shamsul Hoda.
Earlier in the morning a delegation headed by Maulana Zahir-ul-Haq met Minister Mr. Shahid Ali Khan in his chamber and handed over a list of their demands to forward to the chief Minister. They warned that they wanted a reply from the government within two days otherwise they will launch movement for fulfillment of their demands.