"Re-Starting Dropout Muslim Girls in Education",
Author: Ishtiaque Danish,
unpublished manuscript
report on project sponsored by UNICEF, Lucknow, 2004, pp.94).
Reviewed by Yoginder Sikand
Madrasas play an important role in providing literacy and basic education to millions of Muslim children in India. Yet, Ishtiaq Danish of the Hamdard University, New Delhi, argues in this report, there is much scope for improvement in this regard.
This report is based on a survey conducted in three districts of Uttar Pradesh that have a fairly high Muslim population, characterized by high rates of illiteracy and widespread poverty: Siddharthnagar, Barabanki and Moradabad. A total of 48 madrasas and 6 government schools were surveyed and 216 madrasa teachers, 15 government primary school teachers, and several students in schools and madrasas and their parents were interviewed for this study.
In the Moradabad district it was found that 42.35% of parents of students in madrasas and government schools were illiterate, 12.94% had acquired secondary education and only 1.76% were madrasa graduates. Their average annual income was Rs. 24,535. Of the 170 parents, only 4 were government employees. 10.58% were unemployed, 15.85% were daily wage earners, 42.35% were engaged in small income generation activities and 27.64% were artisans. In other words, the vast majority of students studying in madrasas and government come from economically deprived backgrounds.
Of the 1049 children of these parents, only 721were studying in madrasas or schools. Of these 721, 55% were boys and 45% girls. 66.71% were studying in maktabs and madrasas and 33.28% in government schools. Of the madrasa/maktab students, 55% were boys and 45% girls.
The survey found that most parents (78.23%) were not averse to having their daughters study in co-educational schools till the fifth grade. The overwhelming majority of the parents (94.1%) are in favour of regular revision of the madrasa syllabus, 97.64% want madrasas to also provide some technical or professional education, 95.30% favour inclusion of ‘modern’ subjects in the syllabus, 95.8% favour state assistance to madrasas, and 91.76% believed that financial incentives would help prevent high drop-out rates among girl students.
59.74% of the madrasa teachers believe that the teaching of ‘modern’ subjects in the madrasas is inadequate and 35% complain that the curriculum is not revised regularly. The overwhelming majority of the teachers are in favour of the inclusion of ‘modern’ subjects, and 79% advocate the setting up of an All-India Madrasa Board. 88% support a common syllabus for all madrasas in order to improve their performance, and all teachers are in favour of teachers’ training in and use of modern teaching methods.
The bulk of the income of the madrasas was found to be spent on staff salaries, and only a few madrasas spent money on infrastructural development and students’ welfare. Only 16.67% claimed to provide scholarships to some students, although they declined to reveal the amount given to the researcher. It appears, the report says, that there is no fixed amount of scholarship, and that these are perhaps given to cover the tuition fee or mess charges of some students.
The madrasas were found to have a high drop-out rate, but it proved to be difficult to get records about this. Madrasas that receive full or partial state-funding do maintain such records but the others do not. It is estimated that only 16.92% of the boys and 18.51% of the girls enrolled in the madrasa completed their education till the fifth grade.
In Barabanki district the survey covered 16 madrasas, both state-aided as well as private. The profile of the parents of the children appears similar to that of the case of Moradabad. Of the 1168 children, 802 are studying in madrasas or government schools. Of these 77.30% study in madrasas and 22.70% in government schools. 53% of the madrasa students are boys and 22.7% girls.
All the madrasa teachers desire regular revision of curriculum, the introduction of professional education in madrasas and the use of new teaching methods. 87% want the inclusion of ‘modern’ subjects in the syllabus and 86% are not opposed to co-education till the fifth grade.
41% of the madrasas claimed to provide scholarships to students, but they did not divulge how many students received such assistance. It is estimated, however, that the amount given to selected students is a meagre Rs.300 per year. The madrasas are characterized by a
high drop-out rate. Only 20.68% boys and 20% girls enrolled in the madrasas carry on with their education till the fifth grade. The high rate of enrolment in the primary classes suggests that parents are enthusiastic about educating their children, but the high drop-out rate shows that poverty and lack of good schooling facilities compel them to withdraw their children from madrasas/schools by the fifth grade. In other words, the report suggests, financial assistance by the state as well as Muslim community organizations can help reduce the drop-out rate.
The family background of students studying in madrasas surveyed in Siddharthnagar district is similar to that in the case of the two other districts. The suggestions they and the madrasa teachers made for improving and modernizing the madrasas are also roughly the same. Only one of the 15 madrasas surveyed provides free books to its students but it did not have details as to the number of students who actually benefit from this. No madrasa was found to provide student scholarships, and none received any state assistance.
The report suggests that, despite their obvious limitations, madrasas are playing a key role in promoting education among Muslims, especially those from poor families, and in areas where state educational provision is either non-existent or in a very bad shape. Several madrasas teach basic Hindi, English and mathematics, in addition to religious studies, and, hence, are obviously not averse to modern subjects. While most teachers desired better teachers’ training facilities, it was found that the managers of the madrasas were not very keen about this. Most teachers were found to be in favour of ‘modernization’ of the madrasas without diluting their religious character. Many of them also wished to acquire a degree from a university, possibly through the open university system, and also supported the idea of madrasa students acquiring such degrees. The report argues that the dedication of the teachers, their commitment to the welfare of the community and their openness to modernization have, however, ‘not been capitalized upon’. It was also found that while the majority of the madrasa teachers claimed that their curriculum has been revised, little has actually been done in this regard.
The survey discovered that although most parents are eager to provide a basic education to their girl children, religious as well as secular, they are unable to educate them further for various reasons: poverty, opposition to co-education and reluctance to send their girls outside the locality for education. In other words, economic conditions, rather than religion per se, are mainly responsible for the low educational status of Muslim girls. Many of them argued that if girls’ schools, staffed by women teachers, were set up in their localities and if they
were provided with scholarships or other such incentives the high drop-out rates of female students would greatly reduce.
The study concludes with a list of suggestions, including recognition of madrasa certificates by the state to enable their students to join regular schools; making the Sarva Shiksha Scheme more pro-active in its involvement with madrasas; including provision of mid-day meals, scholarships, uniforms, para-teachers and schemes for physically challenged students; arranging for vocational training schemes in madrasas; facilitating local literate Muslim women to join anganwadis or infant-care centres and encouraging them to teach at least part-time in girls’ madrasas; encouraging madrasas to appoint more lady teachers; improving infrastructural facilities in madrasas, especially to meet specific needs of girl students, particularly separate toilets; encouraging local community, including religious, leaders to promote girls’ education; and upgrading madrasa teachers’ skills and encouraging them as well as students in higher-level classes to enrol in courses offered by the National Open School and various open universities.