BOMBAY, 8 January 2006 — In a move to appease Muslims, the Congress-led Democratic Front government in the western Maharashtra state has taken a decision to set up a Madrasas Educational Board (MEB).
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), disclosed here last evening that he had held a series of meetings with the representatives of the madrasas last year.
He said that following the meetings the state government had taken this decision about the madrasas, but with a rider that it was for the madrasas to come under the purview of the board.
Patil said the proposal made by the MEB will be placed before the Cabinet within a fortnight for final ratification.
The aim and objective of the setting of the MEB Patil said was to improve the quality of education so that the youth of the Muslim community could find jobs in the present competitive world.
Patil also promised providing financial assistance to the madrasas and said that the proposed decision aims at setting the MEB on the lines of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Board where students besides receiving religious education will also get vocational training and certificates that will guarantee jobs to them.
Stating that the whole objective and aim of this was to ensure that the Muslim children got quality education and added that except for the madrasas in Bombay, Bhiwandi and Akkalkuwa, which were better off than other madrasas, the rest of the madrasas in the state stood in need of financial support from the government.
Patil surprised many when he gave a clean chit to the madrasas and stated that there were no irregularities of any nature found in the madrasas in the state.
He revealed that there are more than 2,000 madrasas in the state employing more than 5,000 teachers and imparting teachings to more than 200,000 students.
It is the constitutional responsibility of the state to provide basic education in the age group of six to 14, Patil said and added that a panel of experts would decide the syllabus and it would be voluntary for the madrasas to join the board and assured that the government would not interfere in their functioning.
Clarifying that the proposal has come from the state Minorities Commission and the decision taken after a series of meetings, Patil said that those joining the board would have to follow the prescribed syllabus. The examination system would be standardized on the lines of SSC and HSC, he concluded.
