Madrasah Education: An Observation - 14 | Articles on Education of Bangladesh | Uncatagorized

MUZIB MEHDY

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Possible Fields of Work for Madrasah Students and their Contribution to the National Economy
There exists widespread unemployment in this country. There exists a huge disparity between the number of jobs available in the public and the private sectors and the available workforce. Despite the fact that unemployment is a major problem in this country, it is also often heard that positions are left empty due to lack of qualified and skilled workers. Because of the disparate educational system extant in this country, both qualified and unqualified workers are produced.

Qualification is the keyword. A qualified and competent individual does not remain unemployed in the long run – even if the work may not be according to his capacity. Even if this notion appears logical consolation, it is not really a notion that raises hope. It is not enough to simply blame the existing discriminatory education system or the competence or incompetence of a student to account for someone with a graduate or post graduate degree in physics becoming a banker – it is necessary to raise questions about the very system of the state. In this country in most cases, a student of chemistry never does become a chemist. S/he has to go door to door simply to get the opportunity of a clerical job. This is why our educational system is broken down, almost dead; specialists term it “clinically dead” and pull at the very roots by saying that “It is our wretched, ruined, repressive state system that has given birth to this stagnant education system of today’s Bangladesh.”

The continuity that has led to the current state of our education system has been discussed to some extent while speaking of educational policy and other issues. There is no doubt that the British Colonial power introduced this discriminatory system by applying “divide and rule” policy in its communal aspect to accomplish their narrow but long-term strategy. To this end they collaborated with both Hindu and Muslim fundamentalist groups at various times. The discriminatory attitudes that the British used to fulfill their evil designs were encouraged by the Pakistani rulers to achieve their own ends. Unfortunately, instead of declining with the birth of Bangladesh, this discrimination has gradually grown. The high idealism of the constitution of Bangladesh that had pushed blind religious idealism far away are shattered when steps are taken to entrench discrimination in the educational system defeating the values of secularism and socialism. This not only obliterates hopes for religious tolerance and equality but also for peaceful coexistence of people of different faiths, creeds and caste.

The kindergarten, model school, cadet college, Madrasahs run side by side with the general education stream are each and everyone an indicator of the discriminatory attributes of our system. This kind of contradictory systems of studying contributes nothing to society except base, communal mentalities. The amount of resources used by governmental and non-governmental sources to sustain these institutions is much higher than expenditures made in general education. The first three types of institutions are only open for children from relatively affluent families as these are quite expensive and affordable to only a small segment of the population. It goes without saying that the fields of work and job opportunities for individuals who come out of these institutions are broader and better. They also have opportunities for employment abroad as their medium of education is English – which is treated as a second language in general education. Despite the many sacrifices made for the Bangla language and the blood that has been shed, students whose medium of education was Bangla are gradually being marginalized in local workplaces. The class system that has thus been and is being established is having a negative impact on the social mindset. Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury made a commentary on articles presented by speakers at a seminar held on September 16, 2000, organized by the Bangladesh Economic Association. Regarding the three types of education – English medium, general education and Madrasahs – he said, those educated in English medium schools will lead the country in the coming times. And the poor of the country study at Madrasahs and become poorer.  Those who had determined the objective of Madrasah education to be developing true caretakers and protectors of Islam, the 56 members of the Shamsul Haq Commission – it is almost certain that none of their children are studying in Madrasahs. This is the colonial legacy of the urban middle class. They know that having a studied in a Madrasah, a student is not prepared to function or interact in modern society. Badruddin Umar once said, that one of the key indicators and decisive evidence that Madrasah education is ineffective and backward is that the bureaucrats who determine policy in favor of and are strong supporters of the Madrasah system never send their children to study in Madrasahs. They never even think about it. Hence, this education is not meant for rich or even middle class families; this is meant for children of the poor. The reason for this is that in today’s world, even the poor feel the need for education, and that need should be met in some way. Through the Madrasah system that need is met in such a manner that a large number of poor children spend years and years in Madrasahs in the name of education and in reality remain uneducated and unqualified for the workplace. The children of the ruling class with opportunities and education maintain their power and position in society by keeping the poor Madrasah educated people in the dark. From this context, the discrimination inherent in the Madrasah system will become clear to anyone.

After the establishment of the Madrasah in Calcutta by Warren Hastings in 1780 following the Oriental School of Educational Policy till today, the Madrasah education has continually expanded through patronization from the state as well as from other sources. Till date this system is producing less qualified individuals at higher investment. After completing their degrees their fields of work remain very limited. Although those who have studied in Madrasahs and are their well wishers believe this to be an opportunity, in reality it is merely a mechanism to keep them behind. The aim of Madrasah education is not to develop caretakers and protectors of Islam, but to create an inequity between the upper and lower classes. This inequity ensures that the upper classes retain their advantageous position in life through education compared to the children from the lower classes. Coming from poor and comparatively unsophisticated cultural levels, moving through the Madrasah system, these individuals are stuck forever in a subordinate position socially, financially and culturally. They never actually come into competition with children from the richer families. With the expansion of education the ruling class is using education very cleverly to maintain their class interest. To ensure this they are using religion – religion that is related more to oppressive politics and feudalistic class-consciousness than true faith.  The ruling reactionary class always act as patrons to this system because it is easier to exploit and rule if there are more blind people than those who can see the truth.

In the existing Madrasah system, job opportunities for those who study under the Khariji, Hafezi, Qariyana is very limited. There is not much they can do apart from teach at Madrasahs and maktabs, work as Imams at mosques, speak at Waaz Mehfils, work as Maulvis at schools, perform various family religious occasions such as deaths or circumcisions, or serve as private tutors. Aside from these, they recite the Quran, register marriages, and perform janaja (prayers for the dead), monazat (special prayers) and akikah (naming ceremony). As the Aaliyah Madrasahs are in contact with general education, students from this stream have slightly larger opportunities. A student who has completed the Dakhil or Alim levels from Aaliyah Madrasah can join higher general education if s/he chooses as Dakhil and Alim is considered the equivalent of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher School Certificate (HSC). These students may gain equal opportunities with a general education graduate in the workplace. However, the education they receive in childhood and adolescence precludes their having a progressive mentality in most cases. As they lack the liberal mindset for freedom in learning, even if they do study at university level in most cases they are unable to free themselves of extreme conservatism. Hence even if the certificate qualifies them for the workplace in reality they remain unqualified. There is no opportunity to sit for the Bangladesh Civil Service exams directly after completing Aaliyah Madrasah. As the Fazil degree is not accepted as equivalent to Honours degree, even if a student has completed Fazil, s/he must complete a BA degree from some college.

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Reference
1.    “On a Democratic Education System”, Hassan Azizul Haq.  Education in Bangladesh: Past, Present and the Future, Pg. 132-133
2.    The Daily Sangbad, September 17 2000, Pg. 12
3.    The Democratic Education Movement in Bangladesh, Badruddin Umar, Sangskriti, September 2000
4.    On the Education Commission Report and Madrasahs and Religious Education, Badruddin Umar, Sangskriti, 25th Anniversary Issue, Pg. 25

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