With recent Supreme Court ruling, busting myths about madarsas

Some states, similar UP and Assam, are striving to get escaped of the madarsas connected the grounds that they are spiritual acquisition institutions. The madarsa acquisition strategy successful India often makes headlines for the incorrect reasons, often taunted arsenic a breeding crushed for coercion — a story surrounding the lives of Muslims successful India, with nary grounds to enactment specified a claim.

Recently, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommended discontinuing authorities backing for madarsas crossed the country. This proposal is articulated successful a study titled “Guardians of Faith oregon Oppressors of Rights: Constitutional Rights of Children vs Madrasas.” The study discusses the past of madarsas and their alleged relation successful violating children’s acquisition rights. The title, section headings, and connection utilized successful the study look to bespeak an anti-Islam bias. These recommendations look to interruption the law values of secularism and state of religion oregon belief.

The connection “madarsa” means “a spot of learning” oregon “place of study”, equivalent to a schoolhouse oregon college. In India, unfortunately, it has acquired a antagonistic connotation, often associated with backwardness and orthodoxy owing to changeless right-wing propaganda. The madarsa strategy is profoundly rooted successful Indian history, with 1 of the oldest madarsas successful the South located successful Sitapur, West Bengal, established successful 1751. The Calcutta Madrasa, established successful 1780, earlier the mounting up of the erstwhile Presidency College, included a people connected quality anatomy arsenic portion of medicine successful its curriculum, reflecting a committedness to divers world pursuits.

Examples abound crossed the states wherever the aged accepted madarsas person provided a abstraction for simple learning and entree to lodging and food. Mid-day meals were successful spot successful madarsas agelong earlier the authoritative nutrition programme successful India came astir — astir madarsas are residential.

The Shaheen Academy operates implicit 60 branches of Intermediate Colleges crossed 13 states. Founded successful 1989 successful Bidar, it aims to integrate madarsa students into mainstream education. Over the years, galore of its students person successfully gained admittance to authorities aesculapian colleges and secured placements successful assorted different fields.

Similarly, successful West Bengal, the Shalukpara Madrasah Ashraful Uloom, established successful 1970, encourages its students to beryllium for state-level committee examinations for some secondary and higher secondary education. This inaugural aims to guarantee that madarsa students are equipped with the qualifications needed for further world and nonrecreational success.

Madarsas successful West Bengal contiguous a precise antithetic representation compared to the claims made by the NCPCR. They are categorised arsenic junior, higher secondary and elder madarsas and broadly autumn nether 2 categories: Recognised madarsas and community-run Kariji madarsas. Approximately 614 recognised madrasas are affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education, pursuing astir the aforesaid program arsenic the authorities board.

Our survey based connected the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DICE) challenges the stereotypes often associated with Madarsas — astir Muslim children be these institutions, lone boys are enrolled, the absorption is solely connected Islamic education, spiritual texts predominate the people curriculum, and truthful on. Our survey dispelled these myths based connected facts and figures.

According to Census 2011, West Bengal has astir 27 per cent Muslim colonisation with a literacy complaint of 68.74 per cent compared to the 77.08 per cent of the full population, indicating the predicament of the assemblage connected being lettered. These madarsas person educated galore from the astir disadvantaged Muslim families for generations. A sizeable fig of these madarsas were established earlier Independence and their numbers person continued to turn successful the decades since. Yet, students enrolled successful madarsas marque up a tiny fraction of the full enrollment successful the acquisition strategy successful West Bengal.

In 2011-12, the full fig of enrollments stood astatine 4,15,200. This accrued to 5,21,523 by 2015-16 (25.60 per cent rise). By 2021, the fig stood astatine 5,45,903. In 2011-12, 15,762 non-Muslim students were enrolled successful recognised madarsas, retired of which 12,069 were Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 3,693 were Scheduled Tribes (STs). This enrollment fig further accrued by 28.12 per cent successful 2015-16 with 20,195 enrollments.

Our investigation finds that successful 2011-12, enrollment was lowest astatine the superior level (0.66 per cent), peaking astatine 3 per cent successful precocious superior and 3.41 per cent successful Secondary, but dipping somewhat astatine the higher secondary level (2.5 per cent). By 2015-16, these figures rose, with 0.91 per cent astatine primary, astir 4.5 per cent astatine precocious primary, 5.18 per cent astatine secondary, and 3.93 per cent astatine higher secondary. However, 2020-21 saw a wide diminution successful madarsa enrollment, with the highest attraction astatine the secondary level (4.45 per cent).

Another absorbing signifier that emerged successful West Bengal’s case, which antecedently has been identified by the Sachar Committee Report – is the sex parity successful madarsa enrollment. In the lawsuit of enrollment of Muslim students, since 2006, much girls person been enrolled than boys. In 2011-12, the signifier continued successful state-funded madarsas – 40 per cent of boys and 60 per cent of girls. In 2015-16, the percent of Muslim boys’ enrolled dipped to 38 per cent and girls’ enrollment roseate to 62 per cent.

By 2020-21, though the implicit fig of enrollments arsenic per sex remained successful favour of girls, a tiny saltation successful the proportionality was observed with boys’ enrollment rising to 40.4 per cent and girls’ dropping to 59.6 per cent. We are besides trying to recognize akin trends with non-Muslim students. In this respect too, the reverse sex spread is precise overmuch observable with a greater proportionality of non-Muslim girls being enrolled successful madarsas.

Madarsa graduates clasp respected positions successful fields specified arsenic medicine, and engineering, and adjacent service successful the Indian Army, arsenic these institutions are affiliated with recognised bodies successful states. Dismissing madarsa acquisition connected the unfounded assertion that it violates kid rights would beryllium a important mistake arsenic rightly pointed retired by the Supreme Court. Instead, it ensures basal entree to acquisition for disadvantaged groups, protects India’s taste diversity, and upholds the rights of minorities to negociate their acquisition institutions.

Ahamed is National Research Coordinator, Pratichi Institute, Kolkata and Jana is adjunct professor, St Xavier’s University, Kolkata