By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
New Delhi : The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has decided to financially support regular subjects like maths and science that may soon be taught in madrasas as part of its modernisation process. It will, however, not fund the teaching of traditional subjects like Qur’anic and Hadith interpretation and Fiqh.
The HRD ministry will link madrasas with the National Institute of Open School and introduce mathematics, social sciences, Hindi, English and other regular subjects as part of the modernisation process of the religious schools.
"As a part of the modernisation process, it is certain that we would introduce additional subjects at all the madrasas and maktabs. A regular curriculum of a madrasa and maktab includes courses in Arabic, Tafsir (Quranic interpretation), Islamic Shariah, Hadith, Mantiq
(logic), and Muslim History. The government will not fund these subjects," a senior official of the ministry said here Tuesday.
Depending on the educational demands, some madrasas also offer advanced courses in the Arabic literature, English and other foreign languages, as well as science and world history.
There are demands to treat madrasa degrees at par with those of public schools.
"The HRD ministry had discussions with religious teachers and institutions associated with the madrasas. The ministry made it clear to them that to put their degrees at par with public school certificates, assessment is required. And the students have to study additional subjects to make their degrees valid as per rules," the official added.
The course will incorporate standard content that is being offered by the NIOS, and the students will also have to appear for examinations in all these additional modern subjects that would soon be taught. The examinations will be conducted by NIOS.
"We are working on the modalities of setting up the rules for taking exams. It could be similar to what NIOS is offering right now to students and could also be something different. The ministry is still working on these things," the HRD ministry official further said.