It is learnt that the number of qoumi madrassahs has almost tripled in the country from 2008 to 2015 raising question how such proliferation could take place with the Awami League government implementing its secularist state policy since January 2009. The press report said the number of madrassah in the country now stands at 14000 with 15 lakh students compared to 5,250 madrassah with 13,57,505 students in 2008. The report quoting figures of a survey by Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) showed religious education dominates a large chunk of the people with 63,000 teachers engaged in teaching.
It suggests that both the number and influence of religious institutions have increased in the recent past despite the government’s promise to reduce their number them in a bid to establishing a secular system. We know that religious institutions have their deep roots and it must be respect. But that does not mean madrassah education will grow without due observation. Madrassah education and religion are not the same necessity.
Moreover, without going to the debate whether or not madrassahs must continue though the secularists believe coexistence is not possible. We must say our religious value and socio-economic reality should not see one against the other.
It is religious orthodoxy that must be checked by enlightened religious education. The problem is some leftist adventurists playing game with the state power.
We understand, madrassah education needs to be reformed and made more responsive to serve the socio-economic transformation of the nation with learning in science and skill development for students to earn a livelihood. We also think it may be achieved without compromising basic religious teachings. Here, new curriculum may be developed for madrassah education. We understand outmaneuvering of the left in the past several years made the religious right highly critical to any such move to bring reforms to religious education. The BANBEIS survey suggest that despite a very critical attitude of the government, the tremendous rise in the number of madrassahs and their students left one message and that is, there is hardly any room to bring unilateral change to religious education where people’s sentiment remain critically at work. However, we believe the necessary reform may be worked out taking the leaders of the madrassah education on board and in confidence.
As we see, madrassah education offers low cost education to the poor. What the government can do is that it may increase financial contributions to the madrassash, try to win their confidence and let madrassah leaders work out reforms to bring qualitative change in their system. We believe, madrassah education covers huge population, it must be given support instead of attempts to marginalize them. They must be allowed to achieve transformation from within.
