By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
Muslim leadership in India is mostly about protest. Whether it is Shahbano, Babri Masjid, Salman Rushdie, Polio drops, registration of marriages, Taslima Nasrin, or the latest- Central Madrasa Board. Of course, some of these protests are justified and most of these protests are within the democratic limits but the other side of the democratic work is making demands for the community. Muslim leadership has failed to get any new benefit to the community.
Muslim leadership also fails to analyze a situation, incident, or a new proposal and see how the community can benefit from it. It is either the mistrust of the government or our insularity that any new idea is shot down even before it is properly discussed. So instead of seeing how the proposed Central Madrasa Board (CMB) can benefit the community climb out of its pathetic education conditions we seem to think that we are better off without it.
Before we see how the Board has the potential to help the community let’s look carefully at some of the objections raised against it. The first and biggest objection that make Muslim suspicious of government intention is the argument that why it is so much concerned about only 4% of Muslim children and nothing about 96% of the students that are either not going to school at all, dropping out, or not getting quality education. On the face of it, it is a valid objection but let’s dig deeper.
The data about madrasa going students is from Sachar Committee Report. It is all India level data and in North India they estimate that as much as 7% of Muslim children may be going to madrasas. Some people may dispute these numbers as too high or two low of an estimate but since we don’t have any other survey or census data, we may assume that it is correct. Consider this- that Sachar Committee also estimated that only 15% of Muslims who are at least 17 years of old have matric level education. If we add 4% from madrasas then this figure will go upto 19% a slight improvement which translates into millions of people. Now, if there is a government scheme that will help more than 20% of the community’s educated, why should anyone have problem with that?
Other major objection has been that it will let the government meddle in the syllabi and distort the character of madrasa education. The bill specifically mentions that the CMB is concerned only with the non-religious instructions, and how can one standardize religious education when the same board consists of Deobandis, Barelvis, Ahl-i-Hadith, Shafi, Shia, & Bohras?
17.1.(a) Promote education in non theological subjects without interfering in any manner in the theological content of Madarsa education.
A valid question is that where we will find teachers that can teach CBSE courses to madrasa students. It will be a big challenge to the board to find trained teachers but given that they will be paid government salary, it will attract better talent but a lot of teacher training will be required, which is one of the the Board’s function.
Another lacuna that is pointed out is that though the Board will consists of a Chairperson and 15 members, selection criteria of only 14 of these are given and there is nothing in the bill that suggest that the Chairperson has to be a Muslim. But section 6.3 clearly mentions that Chairperson should be someone who has contributed to Madrasa education. Since modern educated Muslims shy away from madrasas it sounds like only an aalim can fulfill this criterion.
6.3 The Chairperson shall be an educationalist of eminence, integrity and standing with distinguished contribution to Madrasa education and shall not be more than 65 years of age.
Many critics have raised the point that once the madrasas get affiliated with the board it will be very difficult for them to retain their independence. First of all, the affiliation is voluntary and madrasa can taken itself out of the affiliation at any point. Power of hiring of the teachers and functioning of the madrasa is also retained by its own management and there is nothing in the provision to indicate that board will interfere in these matters.
Since teachers are hired by the madrasa and they are accountable to the management and not to the Board therefore they will be no complacency even as they draw government salary, as alleged by some of the critics of the Board.
One of the criticism that nowhere in the bill it sets down proportion of time that will be devoted to secular subjects, is itself the proof that madrasa management is fully authorized to run the madrasa as it deems fit. The managment can allocate time that will work best for the courses it is offered in their madrasas.
A valid argument is that madrasas are not there to produce professionals like engineers and doctors but religious scholars. But even a religious scholars need to be familiar with his surroundings and changes in the society by studying modern subjects the scholar will be more qualified for the role of guide to the community.
Then another objection is that the board guarantees no admission to other colleges or universities or employment. This is really a dishonest objection and combined with the previous object it is simply absurd. No examination or education board anywhere guarantees admissions to other universities. And no institutes however prestigious guarantees employment to its graduates. By offering modern subjects and that too with quality syllabus that do not go against Islamic principles it is offering higher education and employment opportunities to millions of madrasa graduates.
The bill offers one seat to each of the muslim sect or groups – this has also come under fire from critics who think it is an attempt to divide the community and it should be proportional. Since it offers equal participation for all then what better symbol of unity it can be? This board will be even more unified that All Indian Muslim Personal Law Board. By offering seats to Muslim professional and philanthropist, it has made this body more representative and an opportunity for the best talents in the community to do some good work. Now we can continue to cry about our pathetic condition or utilize this excellent opportunity where government is footing the bill and giving us the framework to help our community.
Of course, Muslim suspicion of the government is not completely unfounded. In states which have madrasa boards, the work of these boards has ranged from useless to incompetent. None of the boards have done anything to put confidence of the community in them. But one must realize that a democracy requires that institutions and schemes are closely monitored for their action and inactions. Muslims in India have failed to create social institutions that can monitor and lobby government officers and institutions. So the failure of these boards is actually a reflection on the community’s failure to look out for their own benefits.
We have to see the benefit of the Central Madrasa Board and use it as a model to develop institutions that can act as watchdogs and lobbying organizations to get things that will be beneficial. Since madrasas are such institutions that are usually in the midst of the community and this board being a central government agency will be more transparent and therefore armed with the information community will be more empowered to make this board responsive to community needs.
Government manages the movement of piligrims to hajj- one of the five pillars of Islam. There has not been such mismanagement in this affair that community ever demanded that the government should give up making arrangements of hajis. If hajj committees can do the job that they are entrusted with, there is no reason that Central Madrasa Board can not do what it has been tasked to do.
Traditional routes for madrasa graduates have been to become imam of a masjid, become madrasa teacher or start their own maktabs. No doubt they are contributing immensely to the community but one wonders how much of this is by choice and not because they don’t have other options. Introduction of modern subjects will not only improve the quality of scholars coming out of madrasas but also make sure that they chose to be a religious scholar and not forced into it. Introduction of modern subjects and quality instructions will make madrasa an attractive option for many Muslims who want to see their children get education in an Islamic environment.