Over 2,000 non-Muslim kids in madrasas: State tells NCPCR
   Date :13-Jan-2024

non-Muslim kids in madrasas 
 
 
 
 
By Mukesh S Singh
RAIPUR,
 
 
IN A major development, which would certainly attain political overtone, the State Administration under new government led by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, has finally acted swiftly upon a long-pending directive of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) – for identifying non-Muslim children studying in ‘madrasas’ so that they could be admitted to schools. Total 2,159 non-Muslim students have been found enrolled in different madrasas registered with the State Government, wherein 1,735 were with primary-level madrasas and 424 with pre-middle madrasas. A response to this effect from the State Administration finally came only after the national child rights panel summoned the Chief Secretaries of as many as 11 States and UTs, including Chhattisgarh, for not acting on its directive for the last one year. The Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh was asked to appear before the child rights body on January 12. Among the Chief Secretaries of other States and UTs summoned includes Haryana, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya and Telangana wherein they have been asked to appear on January 16, January 17 and January 18.
 
‘The Hitavada’ is in possession of an official communiqué undersigned by Deputy Director, Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI), dated January 4, wherein referring to a summon letter of the commission dated January 3, it asked all the District Education Officers (DEOs) in Chhattisgarh to conduct an detailed inquiry into all government-funded and recognised madrasas, which admit nonMuslim children. The official documents specifically underlined to ensure physical verification of the children during the inquiry and eventually admit the children in school. The entire exercise was initiated after the NCPCR received complaints of non-Muslim being imparted religious education in some madrasas sans the consent of their parents. The official document also reminds all DEOs, Joint Directors (JDs) and Secretary of Chhattisgarh Madrasa Board, for ‘mapping of all unmapped unrecognised madarasas’ and make arrangements to provide basic education to children enrolled there.
 
Upon being contacted by ‘The Hitavada’, the newly-appointed Director of DPI, Divya Umesh Mishra, said that the report of physical verification of all madrasa sought by the NCPCR had been submitted recently, which actually coincided with date of her joining as Director DPI on January 4. The officer, however, expressed her inability to shed light on the reasons behind the delay in report submission. Asserting that the national child rights panel was totally satisfied with the report submitted by the DPI, Mishra said the comprehensive report submitted was based on the physical verification of children enrolled in the madrasas. “Real-time factual input submitted in the report has been compiled on the basis of exhaustive data furnished collectively by the School Education Department, Tribal Welfare Department and Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD),” she maintained.
 
 
271 registered madrasas in C’garh 
 
IN ALL, 2,159 non-Muslim students have been found enrolled in different madrasa registered with the State Government, wherein 1,735 were with primary-level madrasas and 424 with pre-middle madrasas. As of now, Chhattisgarh State has 271 registered madrasas spread over five revenue divisions, including Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja and Bastar respectively. Of total 271 madrasas, there are 186 primary and 85 pre-middle madrasas respectively in which a total of 10,212 students are enrolled. These officials figures have come to fore in the comprehensive tabulation of registered madrasas furnished in the 5-pages verification report prepared by Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) in response to the directive of NCPCR. However, the inquiry found a total of seven unmapped madrasas in the state, wherein five were located in Raipur and two in North Bastar (Kanker).
 
As per the verification report, the inquiry found a Madarsa in Surguja district to have enrolled highest of 309 ‘Non Muslim’ children, followed by 255 in Bastar; 218 in Mahasamund; 166 in Balrampur-Ramanujganj; 152 in Rajnandgaon; 149 in Janjgir-Champa, 139 in Raigarh and 123 in Jashpur districts respectively. The other remaining districts accounted for only double digit or single digit enrollment of non-Muslim children in their Madrasas. These districts primarily include Bilaspur (73), Raipur (49), Mungeli (32), Balod (20), Kanker (17), Kabirdham (15) and Gaurela-Pendra (10). Strikingly, the inquiry report underlined that the non-Muslim children enrolled in primary (Class 1 to 5) and pre middle (Class 6 to 8) are being imparted modern (formal)education. “None of the Madrasas were found to be imparting any religious education to non-Muslim students,” the report asserted.
 
 
‘BJP using NCPCR directive for its communal agenda’ 
 
MAIN Opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh has taken cognisance of this new development and termed it as communal agenda of BJP ruling both in Centre and now in State. “By doing so, the new BJP government is trying to score political mileage on the grounds of communal bias, since they have nothing to offer anything better for the development of children. On the pretext of the NCPCR directive, BJP is promoting their communal agenda,” alleged Sushil Anand Shukla, Chairman, Communication Department, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress (CPCC).
 
 
‘Edn should be spared from divide of communal lines’ 
 
ALTAF Ahmed, former Chairman of Chhattisgarh Madarsa Board, said the madrasas impart modern education in all subjects. “There should no discrimination between the students on the basis of their religious beliefs and practices. If a Muslim can pursue his education from Sanskrit schools and colleges, what is harm if students of other faiths also get education in Madrasas,” he reacted in response to the BJP-ruled administration’s swift action to NCPCR directive. Durg-based Ahmed, however, also pointed out that the madrasas in the State and elsewhere play a pivotal role as an invaluable instrument of traditional education, apart from spreading literacy through modern formal education among the downtrodden segments of society. “Madrasas never says no to any students, irrespective of their faith. Hence, education should be spared from the divide of communal lines.”