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| Edited By: Dhaval Kulkarni |Source: DNA |Updated: Jul 03, 2015, 07:22 AM IST
Q: What is your reaction to this move?
A: This decision violates article 29 and 30 of the Indian constitution, which talks about protecting the rights of minorities and establishment and administration of educational institutions. They have contradicted their own government in Delhi, the (Narendra) Modi government, which is giving Rs100 crore for madrasas. The HRD ministry treats all madarsa kids as school-going students.
The Maharashtra government too has a madarsa modernisation scheme. If you talk of bringing Muslims into the mainstream and educating them, why is the state not providing reservations for Muslims when this has been upheld by the Bombay High Court?
If the Muslims are to be main-streamed, then who has stopped the Maharashtra government from providing infrastructure in Urdu schools and sanctioning English schools in Muslim clusters? There are many Vedic schools in Pune and others parts. Will they be treated in a similar way? They first told us what to eat and then are telling us where to study.
Q: But, what about the need to modernise madrasas and introduce modern subjects like mathematics, English and science?
A: Many madrasas students have cracked the civil services exam and secured engineering degrees. The objective and purpose (of studying in madrasas) is that a student, a boy or a girl, wants to be an Islamic scholar. Given the empirical data, only 2% of Muslim students attend madrasas. The Sachar committee says this is due to abject poverty. Why don't you focus on the remaining 98%? The highest dropout percentage is among Muslims and Dalits. Why are they (state government) creating a deliberate controversy? Why don't you give reservations to Muslims?
Q: Muslim quotas being scrapped, the beef ban and now this. Do you see a pattern?
A: Completely. The beef ban, compulsory yoga (and now this). One party is contradicting the stand of its own party at the Centre about 'sabka saath, sabka vikaas' and 'ek haat me quran, dusre haat me computer'. This is a deliberate attempt to polarise the atmosphere. Our request is, please count madrasas students as school-going students in the July 4 survey. The state government should know what is the definition of literacy. A literate person is one who can sign in his mother tongue.
Q: What can be the way forward for the community in terms of improving its educational indices?
A: Educational standards must be improved. The Mehmood-ur-Rehman committee clearly said that educational standards among Muslims were pathetic. There are many ways of doing it (improving things). One is reservations, sanctioning schools, improving infrastructure, scholarships for Dalits, Muslims and OBCs who form a bulk of the population. The drop out rate in Dalits and Muslims is high. Empowerment of Dalits and Muslims are big-bang reforms is what the country needs.
