Do you know 5,700 of the 10,000 teachers in West Bengal’s madrasas are Hindus? If you thought madrasas breed terror, think again. A DNA Special
KOLKATA: Do you know 5,700 of the 10,000 teachers in West Bengal’s madrasas are Hindus? If you thought madrasas breed terror, think again. In West Bengal, the madrasas are secular centres of learning.
Of the 39-lakh students enrolled in the state’s madrasas, 40,000 are Hindus. And of 10,000 teachers, 6,000 are non-Muslims. This is according to the records of the West Bengal Council of Madrasa Education.
Says madrasa education specialist Abdul Karim Suphian, “Hindu students enrol in madrasas as these are the only schools in many of Bengal’s remote villages. Also, madrasas charge no fees and provide midday meals. Naturally, poor Hindus send their children here.” The Hindu students hail mainly from remote villages in Muslim-dominated regions. They include Sujapur and Araidanga in Maldah district, Bhagwangola and Jangipur in Murshidabad ditrict, Tikiapara in Howrah, Basirhait in South 24 Parganas, and Raigunj in North Dinajpur.
The surprising bit, say council members, is that there are Hindus who send their children to madrasas even when they are not poor and have other schools in their area. Educationists say there are two reasons behind this. Firstly, the recent revision in madrasa syllabi has brought it on a par with mainstream education, with science, history and geography being taught along with Islamic history and Sufi literature. Secondly, in certain areas, madrasas have better facilities - despite providing free education.
Moreover, council sources say, more Hindus are seeking admission to the madrasas after their spectacular result in last year’s state secondary board examinations. “Over 60 per cent of madrasa students secured first division compared to 20 per cent from other schools,” says Suphian.
The introduction of modern subjects made the madrasas recruit non-Muslim teachers. “Our aim is to have the best faculty. This cannot happen if we recruit only Muslims,” says Suphian. “There are also Catholics among the madrasa teachers.”
The Kidwai Committee, headed by AR Kidwai, was assigned the task to revise the madrasa syllabi in the state. The committee recommended inclusion of scientific subjects in the syllabi, which was adopted by the Left Front government headed by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The new subjects were included in 2005.
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