After Nov 15, UP govt to take a call on 8K ‘unauthorised’ madrasas
It is still not clear if the list of ‘unauthorised’ madrasas also includes globally renowned Islamic seminaries like Darul-Uloom, Deoband in Saharanpur, set up over 100 years back
LUCKNOW The Yogi 2.0 government would take a call on the nearly 8,000 odd ‘unauthorised’ madrasas that have been found across the state, after November 15, the time when district magistrates are expected to send a combined report to the state government.
“The report would be studied in detail. A final decision would be taken in consultation with chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Our resolve is to ensure that all children, across all castes and communities, get such education that helps them keep pace with the times,” said minority affairs minister Dharampal Singh.
Around 8,000 ‘unauthorised’ madrasas have so far been detected in the madrasa survey, government officials said.
However, it is still not clear if the list of ‘unauthorised’ madrasas also includes globally renowned Islamic seminaries like Darul-Uloom, Deoband in Saharanpur, set up over 100 years back.
The seminary has already cleared it has no plans to seek affiliation with the state’s madrasa board and that it would continue to impart largely theological teaching to students who enrol with it.
While Darul Uloom was set up in 1866, Lucknow-based Islamic seminary, Nadwatul Ulama, was set up in 1898. These are registered under the Society Act and considered to be among the few Islamic seminaries across South Asia imparting teaching in Arabic.
Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, president of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), is also the chancellor of Nadwatul Ulama and the AIMPLB has already raised a question mark over the madrasa survey.
“There hasn’t been any (government) communication (since the survey exercise),” said a Nadwa official, when asked if they have learnt anything from the government about the survey.
Minority affairs minister Dharampal, had categorically told HT in an interview that while in a secular, democratic set-up, all are free to pursue the religion of their choice, he had also stated that mere ‘deeni taleem (religious education)’ won’t help madrasa students.
“Mere religious education can’t make the students, who study here, become successful as doctors, engineers, bureaucrats and managers. They should also learn Hindi, English, mathematics and other relevant subjects,” he had said.
With Darul Uloom making it clear that they won’t allow any change in teaching methodology and would continue with the theology-based teaching, the response of the government on the issue is still not clear.
Ashraf Usmani, spokesperson of Darul Uloom said, “We are registered under the Societies Registration Act and already impart both types of teaching – religious as well as modern. There is no need for seeking affiliation.”
Madrasa owners say they impart “deeni taleem” (religious education) to students who, after becoming well-versed in theology, go on to become teachers, qazis, imams, and muezzins of mosques. “We impart ‘deeni taleem’, but we also impart English teaching to our students. We have produced scholars who are doing well across the globe,” said a senior official at Nadwatul Ulama.
“I think there are three types of madrasas that we are dealing with. There are around 16,513 madrasas, which are already registered with the madrasa board. Then there are those that are globally renowned, are registered under the Societies Registration Act but not under the madrasa board. These madrasas aren’t dependent on government for funding, raise their own resources and are widely respected. Then there is another category of madrasas, which are neither here, nor there. The government doesn’t know anything about them, their teachers, teaching methods, source of funding and they could well be under scanner and might be asked to either seek recognition or face action,” said Athar Hussain of the Centre for Objective Research and Development.