Enrolment in seminaries : Government backtracks on proposal to bar ‘outsiders’
Federation of madrassas term the idea ‘discriminatory’, ‘unconstitutional’ .
Federation of madrassa's protest as it is obstructing the right to education. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
In yet another somersault on its own policy of curbing extremism, the interior ministry has abandoned a proposal to restrict ‘outsiders’ from studying at capital’s madrassas.
The proposal, which aimed to discourage influx of students from other parts of the country to Islamabad’s seminaries, also envisaged gradual return of nearly 14,377 students currently enrolled at 329 madrassas to their native areas.
The suggestion had been under consideration for sometime at the ministry as part of the National Action Plan against extremism and terrorism, said a senior ministry official, requesting anonymity.
A Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia (WMA) spokesperson, however, had dubbed the idea “a grave violation of the fundamental right to education” and “discrimination on the basis of ethnicity”.
WMA is a federation of 193 seminaries of Deobandi school, mostly unregistered, in Islamabad.
The ministry official said that the proposal was floated after observing the increasing number of students hailing from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), southern Punjab and Azad Kashmir besides registered and unregistered Afghan students.
“But the proposal has not been materialised, for obvious reasons,” he commented.
According to a recent survey conducted by the police, 14,377 out of the total 31,796 students enrolled in 329 madrassas in the federal capital hail from outside Islamabad and Rawalpindi division.
Adil Sattar, a spokesperson for the ministry, said there was a general direction to conduct security audit of madrassas across the country as part of the National Action Plan.
Sattar said the audit includes collecting data of students, teachers and staff at the madrassas and their areas of origin. “It aims to streamline the seminaries. It should not be construed as an action against madrassas,” he added.
WMA spokesperson Abdul Qudoos, however, said it was against the constitution to restrict someone from getting education on the basis of their identity. He said the idea was as irrational as barring students from other parts of the country from enrolling at universities and colleges.
The police survey said only within the limits of the Kohsar police station there are 12 seminaries of different sects. And out of the total 3,120 enrolled students, only 287 are from Islamabad or Rawalpindi division. The rest hailed from other areas of the country, mainly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
The survey also revealed that out of 329 seminaries, 160 were not registered with any department of the state and were operating illegally.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2015.
In yet another somersault on its own policy of curbing extremism, the interior ministry has abandoned a proposal to restrict ‘outsiders’ from studying at capital’s madrassas.
The proposal, which aimed to discourage influx of students from other parts of the country to Islamabad’s seminaries, also envisaged gradual return of nearly 14,377 students currently enrolled at 329 madrassas to their native areas.
The suggestion had been under consideration for sometime at the ministry as part of the National Action Plan against extremism and terrorism, said a senior ministry official, requesting anonymity.
A Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia (WMA) spokesperson, however, had dubbed the idea “a grave violation of the fundamental right to education” and “discrimination on the basis of ethnicity”.
WMA is a federation of 193 seminaries of Deobandi school, mostly unregistered, in Islamabad.
The ministry official said that the proposal was floated after observing the increasing number of students hailing from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), southern Punjab and Azad Kashmir besides registered and unregistered Afghan students.
“But the proposal has not been materialised, for obvious reasons,” he commented.
According to a recent survey conducted by the police, 14,377 out of the total 31,796 students enrolled in 329 madrassas in the federal capital hail from outside Islamabad and Rawalpindi division.
Adil Sattar, a spokesperson for the ministry, said there was a general direction to conduct security audit of madrassas across the country as part of the National Action Plan.
Sattar said the audit includes collecting data of students, teachers and staff at the madrassas and their areas of origin. “It aims to streamline the seminaries. It should not be construed as an action against madrassas,” he added.
WMA spokesperson Abdul Qudoos, however, said it was against the constitution to restrict someone from getting education on the basis of their identity. He said the idea was as irrational as barring students from other parts of the country from enrolling at universities and colleges.
The police survey said only within the limits of the Kohsar police station there are 12 seminaries of different sects. And out of the total 3,120 enrolled students, only 287 are from Islamabad or Rawalpindi division. The rest hailed from other areas of the country, mainly Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
The survey also revealed that out of 329 seminaries, 160 were not registered with any department of the state and were operating illegally.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2015.