The Hindu : Madrassa Board members quit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 18, 2004

Other States

Other States - Rajasthan

Madrassa Board members quit

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, MARCH 17. The Rajasthan Madrassa Board appointed by the previous Congress-led Government in the State expects to continue working under the present Bharatiya Janata Party regime, as the State Government has so far refrained from taking any action to abolish it or render it powerless.

However, the Board's Chairperson, Alauddin Azad, and Member Secretary, Azam Beg, have resigned on "moral grounds'', saying that the ruling party may like to appoint new functionaries. While Mr. Azad's resignation was accepted on February 7, Dr. Beg was divested of his responsibilities on March 10.

The Madrassa Board -- appointed for the first time in the State -- has carried on working for modernisation of madrassa education and so far registered 1,566 seminaries of the Muslim community, following the appointment of 1,328 para-teachers for these institutions. The Board has set the target of registering 100 more madrassa during the Government's 100-day action plan and registered 97 of them.

Talking to reporters here today, Dr. Beg hoped that the BJP-led Government would strengthen the Board and take steps for evolving madrassas as centres of both religious and secular education for Muslim children mostly belonging to poor families.

The State Government has appointed the Education Department's Deputy Secretary, Ram Prasad, as the Board's acting Chairperson and the Research Officer (Elementary Education), Pradeep Sheel, as the acting Member Secretary. The regular appointments are likely to be made only after the Lok Sabha elections.

Dr. Beg welcomed a "perceptible change'' in the mindset of BJP leaders vis-a-vis the Muslim community, as reflected in the party's repeated assertion that it was concerned about the minorities' welfare and wanted to ensure their greater participation in education and development.

"BJP has realised that it cannot afford to ignore Muslims who have a significant presence in at least 265 Parliamentary constituencies across the country,'' Dr. Beg said while pointing out that the "changing political priorities'' had even compelled the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to soften its stand on issues relating to Hindu-Muslim relations. Dr. Beg regretted that the Madrassa Board had got very little time during his tenure to streamline education as it was constituted only a few months before the Congress Government was voted out.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

Lady lecturers pick up gauntlet against male colleague

Madrassa Board members quit

Festival of short plays at Pink City