Criticising the federal administration for not implementing the agreement it had inked with the representative body of madrasas, religious and seminary leaders announced on Thursday that their schools would not receive government assistance in any form.
The government’s recent efforts to persuade madrasas to ink an agreement for reforming the religious schools have been put at risk because of the announcement shunning help in all forms.
Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, general secretary of the Wifaqul Madaris al Arabia Pakistan (WMAP), the country’s largest board of Deobandi madrasas, accused the Centre of not being serious about negotiating with madrasas to resolve their issues. Addressing an annual certificate distribution ceremony at the Jamia al Uloomul Islamia in Binori Town under the auspices of the WMAP, Jalandhari claimed that the main purpose to provide assistance to madrasas is to divide the unity of the seminaries and religious circles.
He said that unfortunately, religious education is not the priority of the present federal government. Regarding the government’s plan to introduce a national curriculum for a uniform education system in the country, he claimed that through enforcing such a curriculum, the Centre wants to weaken the religious education sector and impose secular education. “But madrasa bodies won’t allow the government to do it.”
The federal government has repeatedly claimed that it has succeeded in persuading madrasa leaders in their meetings to adopt reforms in their education system. Ridiculing Prime Minister Imran Khan without naming him, Jalandhari said that a man who cannot make both ends meet in a salary of as low as Rs200,000 has been suggesting to pay only two teachers at a seminary Rs12,000 each.
He said the WMAP is the country’s largest board of madrasas where over 80,000 students memorise the Holy Quran every year. At the event, awards and certificates were distributed among 430 students who had graduated during the past six years.
Also, 66 madrasas of the province were given awards for their excellent performance. Last year, more than 25,000 religious scholars had also graduated from seminaries. “For centuries, madrasas in the subcontinent have been passing along the heritage of Islamic knowledge to future generations,” said Jalandhari.
He said the madrasas’ body has been safeguarding the ideology of Pakistan, which is the foundation of the country. He added that madrasas across the country have a uniform system of education, and examinations are being conducted under this system.
Madrasa board leaders Maulana Abdul Razzaq Sikander and Maulana Talha Farooqi, University of Karachi acting vice chancellor Prof Khalid Mehmood Iraqi, Board of Intermediate Education Karachi Chairman Prof Inam Ahmed, Board of Secondary Educating Karachi Chairman Prof Saeeduddin, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat chief Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Sindh General Secretary Khalid Mehmood Soomro were among those who spoke at the event.