By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Several Madrassa teachers under central government’s scheme for modern ‘quality education’ have not been paid salaries for months, some for as long as 32 months.
In Uttar Pradesh alone, salaries of 18769 teachers from 6736 Madrassas, around Rs 132 crore, are pending. Teachers of about 4862 madrassas have not been paid their salaries for 32 months now. Salaries of teachers in 1446 other madrssas are now pending for over 20 months.
Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasa (SPQEM) is purported to be 100 percent central government funded scheme to seek “qualitative improvement in Madrasas to enable Muslim children attain standards of the national education system in formal education subjects.”
Under SPQEM, madrssas which are at least three years old can apply to centrally funded scheme of ‘quality’ modern education, following formal curriculum subjects like Science, Mathematics, Language, Social Studies etc. through enhanced payment of teacher honorarium.
SPQEM was started in 1993 by government order. In 2006, SPQEM became the “fourth” scheme under Prime Minister’s 15 Points Programmes for minorities announced in 2006 after the submission of the 2006 Sachar Committee Report.
The Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM) is being implemented by the Ministry of Human Resource Development from the year 2008-09. The budget allocation under the scheme has gone up by 300 percent from Rs. 50 crore in 2009-10 to Rs. 150 crore for the year 2011-12.
While answering a question in the Upper House of the Parliament, Minsiter of State for human Resource and Development Shashi Tharoor had said last year, “With a view to facilitate a dialogue and get feedback on implementation issues, the Ministry has institutionalized a National Consultative Committee on SPQEM with stakeholders.”
The number of Madarsas and teachers benefited under the scheme has gone up from 1,979 Madarsas and 4,962 teachers in the year 2009-10 to 5,934 Madarsas and 14,412 teachers in the year 2011-12 respectively, the minister had informed.
However, when the All India Muslim Educational Society wrote to the HRD Ministry and met Jitin Prasada, another junior minister in HRD, he said that the Finance Ministry has not approved their salaries yet, citing lack of fund.
Dr. Idrees Qureshi, President of the UP Unit of All India Muslim Educational Society led a delegation to meet the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on October 28, and requested her to expedite the process.
Speaking to TCN, Qureshi said, “We urge the government to regularize the SPQEM so that all the teachers of the madrassas are on regular pay roll.”