PositiveNewsCorner

Based on inputs by Shahid

Madrassas in Karnataka will agree to incorporate modern education to their students. This will benefit around 30,000 children of various age groups studying in 900 madrassas.

This is a result of talks between ulemas of the community and the government. These students will get certification from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for completing class 10 or class 12 courses.

The scheme, being spearheaded by the ministry of minority welfare with the Karnataka minority welfare department being the nodal agency, has provisions for financial assistance to madrassas for hiring subject teachers.

Minority department secretary AB Ibrahim has said that the salary for subject teachers will be based on the teacher’s qualification and number of students taught. This may range between Rs 6,000 and Rs 14,000 per month. “While this is just the beginning, we’re confident of convincing them to open the doors for modern education based on NIOS curriculum. There will
be another meeting with community leaders and ulemas to take it further,” said Ibrahim.

The ulemas at the discussion on Saturday evening said the scheme is a welcome change for the community to secure meaningful employment.
“Though our madrassa students have the qualifications, especially in recent times when some of us have introduced computers, mathematics, science, etc in our teaching, they did not have the opportunity to go out into the world for further studies or employment simply because of lack of certification. With NIOS certification, this may help the community grow
stronger,” said Moulana Maqsood Imran.

Government and madrassas agreed that introduction of modern education will be completely voluntary and there’ll be no government interference in religious and spiritual teachings.

The state government is targeting the major madrassas which have 100 or more students to ensure wider reach of the scheme