Playing politics with education

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The government’s decision to acknowledge Qawami madrasa education system yesterday kicked up an uproar all around, with academics, politicians and civil society members terming it a rash political decision designed only to make the Islamic parties in the ruling alliance happy.
The government did not even bother to evaluate the quality of education in the Qawami education system and upgrade Fazil-Kamil curriculum and syllabi before settling for this controversial decision, said sources at the education ministry.

They alleged that the ruling party BNP caved in to the mounting pressure from its coalition partners– Jamaat-e-Isalami, who rallied for Fazil-Kamil degree to be made equivalent to bachelor-master’s degree– and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), who were out to realise recognition for the Qawami education.

Eminent academic Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury warned of dire consequence for this controversial decision. “Students in the general education system will now be deprived socially, academically and professionally,” he told The Daily Star.

Former adviser to caretaker government Hafizuddin Khan was all too surprised at the hasty government move. “I don’t know about this system and what they teach,” he said. “But this indeed would create more confusion in our flawed education system.”

Dr Muhammad Jafar Iqbal, chairman of the department of Computer Science and Engineering of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, termed it an unfortunate political decision. “I also think the quality of Qawami madrasa and education system of Fazil and Kamil will not be upgraded through this move. How can the government issue equivalent certificate before having equivalent curriculum and syllabi in place?”

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Asaduzzaman said that upgrading or recognising madrasa degree will hardly help Qawami education unless the syllabi and curriculum are modernised.

Former vice-chancellor of the Dhaka University Prof Emajuddin Ahmed was also unaware of the Qawami education system.

“What type of curriculum and syllabi they have…I don’t know. For this reason, I won’t comment,” he told The Daily Star.

Many fear that the government decision is going to help realise the long-cherished ambition of the Jamaat-Shibir to sneak into the public administration and consolidate its strength. The dream of the religion-based parties will also come true shortly as over 30,000 madrasas across the country is going to ensure steady flow of graduates for the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations every year, they said.

The Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, controls 98 percent Alia Madrasas, from which over 25 thousand students obtain degree every year, sources said.

Former president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association (Duta) AAMS Arefin Siddique pointed out that it would be very easy for madrasa graduates to get good grades because of the flexible, questionable education system. “It is a very alarming news for the nation. The base of the Jamaat-Shibir politics will become far more stronger as their followers will now make their way into the public administration quite easily.”

The madrasa education also received more state favour than general education during the tenure of this four-party alliance government, contributing to the significant growth of madrasas across the country.

The number of general educational institutions, which receive government funds, has increased 9.74 percent against a 22.22 percent growth of madrasas from 2001 to 2005, according to statistics of the Bangladesh Economic Review.

Muzahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), bracketed the decision as dangerous, which may encourage militancy too.

“Most of the militants came from this educational system,” Selim said. “This will give a wrong signal to the nation.”

He also criticised the government for turning its back on the present movement for a unified, modern and standard education system.

Bangladesh Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon meanwhile forecast the uncontrolled madrasa will create more problems for the country in future. “The move is anti-constitutional, as the constitution speaks for a unified education system. They just played politics with the overall education system.”

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), on the other hand said the decision was not taken from religious consideration. Rather, religion was used to gain political consideration, he said. “It would hamper the quest for a unified education system.”

Experts said madrasas have negligible contributions in creating skilled human resources in the country, still they received on average 11.5 percent of the total education budget in the last few years.

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