By RINA International Service
Lucknow: Along the lines of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad, the body managing education offered by basic and higher secondary schools in the state, Mayawati government has, for the first time, formed the “U.P. Madrasa Shiksha Parishad” in order to maintain uniformity in syllabi of religious Madrasas and Arabic Madrasas for award of degrees.
Haji Rizwanul Haq of Jaunpur has been nominated its chairman whereas the Parishad consists of seven more members including Maulana Abdul Ali Farooqi Kakorvi (Lucknow), Maulana Nanzar Sadiq (Lucknow), Syed Mohammad Dildar Ali (Badayun) and Maulana Mohammad Mushtaq Khan (Shahjahanpur).
Hopefully this step will increase the status of degrees awarded by Arabic Madrasas and these Madrasas start earning more privileges but there are strong chances of increased government interference in Arabic Madrasas after the formation of Madrasa Shiksha Parishad. A section of Madrasas suspect that sooner or later Arabic Madrasas will loose their identity, getting transformed into government Madrasas and Maktabs. It remains to be seen how UP Muslims shall view the formation of Madrasa Shiksha Parishad for Arabic Madrasas. For the time being, this decision by Mayawati government has come as a double-edged sword for Muslims.