By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Mumbai: Markazul Ma’arif Education & Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai has declared a combined entrance test dates for Diploma in English Language and Literature (DELL) for the 2008-2010 batch. The written test will be held on 29th July 2008 at Deoband, Saharanpur for a total of 45 seats.
Of the seats, 25 seats will be available in MMERC, Mumbai, 15 in Markaz-e Islami, Ankleshwar, Gujarat and 5 in Jamia Jalalia Hojai, Assam. The written exams will be held at Public Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Deoband. Only the candidates who pass the written test will be eligible for the interview to be held on 1st August 2008.
According to a press release from MMERC, M. Burhanuddin Qasmi, director of MMERC and his colleagues from Gujarat and Assam will visit Deoband to conduct the exams where each year around 800 meritorious candidates from all over India try their luck in the merit based selection.
MMERC, an educational offshoot of Assam-based Markazul Ma’arif (NGO), was established in Delhi in 1994 and was shifted to Mumbai in 2000. Basking in the glory of success, MMERC enters the sixteenth year of its novel concept in academia- to teach English language with other modern subjects to the fresh Ulama — the madrasa graduates. The institution introduced a two-year course, ‘Diploma in English Language and Literature’ (DELL) for first time in the world to educate the Ulama in a completely new environment and equip them with subjects hitherto unknown to them such as English language, computer and Internet, comparative study of religions, history, and basics of economics, geography, mathematics, political science, journalism and general sciences.
MMERC renders its educational services for free. It also provides the students with basic amenities like lodging, food and medicine etc. In addition to its own trained teaching faculties the institution hires the services of the accomplished faculties for the above-mentioned subjects with an aim to help the students demonstrate their skilful articulation of thoughts and presentations about their religion— Islam and to boost their confidence in order to face the challenges of the modern world and ultimately serve the nation with devotion.
MMERC conducts a highly competitive entrance test with set of objective type questionnaires- at the end of the academic year (by the month of Rjabul Murajjab) of Darul Uloom Deoband. Out of the several hundreds who face the test for every batch only 25 students are enrolled in MMERC on a merit basis. The test is divided in two phases— oral and written covering five subjects as a whole— Arabic Language and literature, hadith, fiqh, exegesis and general knowledge followed by an interview. Having the degree of alimiat or fazilat in the first division from any known madrasas of India makes a candidate entitled to sit in the combined entrance exams for DELL to make it to the final list. Application forms with prospectus can be procured and submitted at the Dept. of Computer in Darul Uloom Deoband on or before 27th July and at MMERC, Mumbai and Markaz-e Islami, Gujarat on or before 24th July only.
Following the success of MMERC there are other institutions in the country that have followed the lead taken by MMERC and started the similar courses under the guidance of MMERC. Department of English and Department of Computer in Darul Uloom Deoband, headed by MMERC alumni, were also initiated by the pioneering zeal of Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Al-Qasmi founder president of Markazul Ma’arif, India.
Exam-related information can be obtained in Mumbai on 09867750037 (As’ad Qasmi), Gujarat on 09825261782 (Ismail Qasmi) and in Deoband on 09457049675 (Muhammadullah Qasmi).