Madrasas to lose recognition for hostility to Math, Science

The BJP-led saffron alliance Government has stirred up a hornets’ nest by deciding to de-recognise all such Madrasas that concentrated on teaching only religion, while not bothering about teaching basic subjects like English, Mathametics and Science.Though the decision has been taken ostensibly to bring the Madrasas into the mainstream of education, the initiative has rubbed the Muslim leaders and the BJP’s political opponents the wrong way. The detractors see the move as an effort to “stigmatise” the Madrassa education and to promote its “Hindutva-RSS” agenda.

The issue threatened to snowball into a political controversy ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra legislature, with the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Majli-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) opposing the move.Confirming the State Government’s decision to classify the registered Madrasas not teaching primary subjects as “non-schools” and children studying in them will be considered “out of school” students, Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Eknath Khadse said, “Currently, Madrasas impart education to children on religion and they do not provide them formal education. Our Constitution says every child has the right to take formal education, which madrasas do not provide”.

Seeking to buttress his point, Khadse said, “If Hindu or Christian children want to study in a Madrassa, they do not get admission there. Hence, Madrasa is not a school but an institution that provides religious education”.Khadse said that Principal Secretary of Minority Affairs department Jayshree Mukherjee had written a letter to Principal Secretary of School Education and Sports Nand Kumar in this regard.Sources said that beginning from July 4, State Education department would conduct a survey of students who were not getting formal education.