In a controversial move, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Indian state of Maharashtra has decided to de-recognise Madrasas which give students education only on religion without formal education like teaching English, Maths and Science subjects, local media have reported.
The move is being defended by the Devendra Fadnavis government as a means to bring madrassa students into mainstream formal education. A massive survey has been planned on July 4 by the state’s department of school education to identify out-of-school children.
According to a 2013 study, there are nearly 2000 madrassas in Maharashtra imparting education to over 1.5 lakh students.
The move has raised the heckles of Muslim leaders as well as the opposition parties in the state. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind General Secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani told India Today TV, “Whatever happened is unacceptable. The Maharashtra government already faces a trust deficit as far as Muslims are concerned.”
Calling the move unconstitutional, Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam said, “No child should be discriminated along religious lines. We are going to take the issue in the state Assembly.”
After the move elicited much flak, Education Minister Vinod Tawde tried to down play the controversy. “The government wants to enhance the quality of education in Madrassas. For that we have asked them to teach subjects like Science, Mathematics and Social Sciences along with the religious knowledge that they impart,” he said in a bid to clarify the government stand.
He also said that the move is in sync with the Right to Education Act which says that any institution not following the national curriculum should be categorized as ‘non-school.’
Tawde also insisted that being classified as “Non School” won’t have any bearing on the grants being given to the Madrassas. However, State Minorities Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse had last month announced that no grants would be given to Madrassas which would not teach subjects like Science, Maths, English and Social Sciences.
The minister had also said that out of a total 1,890 registered Madrassas in the state, 550 have agreed to teach the four subjects to students. “We are even ready to pay Madrassas for giving students formal education and are ready to provide them teaching staff as well,” Khadse had then said.
Defending the move, Tawde said the government wanted madrassas to teach modern subjects without interfering with the religious education.
“How is that anti-Muslim? We want to do this for their betterment… Under the Right to Education, children who aren’t taught under National School Curriculum are considered out of school,” Tawde said.