Madrasa survey to start this month in Karnataka: Officials

The Karnataka education department is likely to conduct survey of all madrasas in the state this month to verify whether the children going to the institutes are getting education as per the Right to Education Act, officials familiar with the development said on Saturday.

The Karnataka education department is likely to conduct survey of all madrasas in the state this month to verify whether the children going to the institutes are getting education as per the Right to Education Act, officials familiar with the development said on Saturday.

The move, according to the officials, is a continuation of the direction issued by state education minister BC Nagesh on August 23. (ANI)

The move is in line with a similar exercise ordered by the Uttar Pradesh government last month.

The chief minister Basavaraj Bommai-led government has directed the education department to submit a report on activities in all 960 madrasas in the state. “To conduct the survey, a committee headed by the education department’s commissioner has been formed,” one of the officials said, requesting anonymity.

The committee will start the survey work in October itself, he said. “There is no time frame fixed for submission of the report. We will submit it as soon as the inspections are over.”

The move, according to the officials, is a continuation of the direction issued by state education minister BC Nagesh on August 23. In a statement released after a meeting with department officials regarding formal education provided to students going to madrasas, the minister had directed officials to verify whether the children going to madrasas are getting education as per the Right to Education Act.

The minister noted that there is a rule, according to which after getting religious education at madrasas, students will have to attend nearby schools to obtain a formal education in science and mathematics.

Yet, there is no clear and accurate information regarding students getting formal education, Nagesh had said. “In this backdrop, keeping in mind the future of the students studying at madrasas there is a need to know about the nature of education at madrasas,” he said in the statement released by his office.

“Officials have been asked to visit madrasas to inspect whether the education being provided at aided, unaided and private madrasas is in accordance with the Right to Education Act and if not, what kind of education is being provided,” the minister had said.

He further pointed out that the department has received complaints regarding madrasas not cooperating when officials visit for inspections.

“After obtaining information regarding the situation on the ground, a meeting will be held with education experts and those running madrasas,” the minister had said. “It is the responsibility of the government to provide every child with formal education in accordance with the Right to Education Act, and all attempts are being made to fulfil it. On the whole, the intention of the government is that every child has to get a quality education.”

In Uttar Pradesh, also ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the state government on September 10 started the process of conducting a survey of unaffiliated madrasas. As part of the survey, three members of the government committee visited madrasas seeking information on 12 aspects, including their source of funding.