Author:
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: September 29, 2005
Madarsa students will hopefully see light
on the other side of the tunnel if Union Human Resources Development (HRD)
Ministry has its way. The Ministry is likely to talk to the Association of
Indian Universities (AIU) to recognise degrees awarded by madarsas in order
to admit them to undergraduate and post-graduate courses.
Also, amendment Bill to the National Commission
for Minority Educational Institutions is to be produced in Parliament stating
that all Central universities having the provision for giving affiliation
will give affiliation to the minority institutions.
At present, only Aligarh Muslim University,
Jamia Millia Islamia and Jamia Hamdard University accept degrees given by
the madarsas.
The Madarsa Board will also talk to Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and other State boards to bring equivalence
to their syllabi and degrees.
"In discussions with the AIU, we can
ask them to admit madarsa students in the graduate and post-graduate courses.
Universities could be asked either to accept the degrees issued by the Madarsa
Board or conduct a screening test to examine the madarsa students before giving
them admissions," said Sunil Kumar, the joint secretary (primary education),
MHRD on Wednesday in a meeting on madarsas at the National Commission for
Minorities (NCM). NCM chairman Sardar Tarlochan Singh was also present in
the meeting.
Ministry-level talks are also on to overhaul
the infrastructure, library and book bank of the madarsas. As per the government
figures, there are 27,605 madarsas in the country but the commission believes
that there are some few more who are not registered to the Madrasa Board.
The government doesn't fund the madarsas directly, however, volunteers like
Wakf Board facilitate the government money to reach the madarsas.
"Talks are on to include the National
Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks in madarsas
to make them of national-level," said Nasim Akhtar Nadvi, Nadvatul Ulema
at a madarsa in Lucknow, who attended the meeting.