Madrasah Education: An Observation - 1 | Articles on Education of Bangladesh | Uncatagorized

Introduction

Background
In 1994 Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS) conducted an exploratory study entitled “Woman and Education” in an attempt to identify the sources of the silent movement against women’s empowerment in the context of the rise of the religious fundamentalist powers. The experiences and insights gained in conducting this study resulted in the compilation of a research paper entitled “Madrasah Education in Bangladesh: Background, Present Status and the Position of Women” in 1997.

The fundamentalist forces, currently active, have emerged as a strong barrier to all progressive movements including the women’s movement. In this context, it seemed necessary to renew, review and reevaluate the data collected in the past study as well as to reexamine the whole issue.

Aims and Objectives
This study has been conducted with several objectives. These are to preserve and advance the ideals of the liberation war and to develop gender equality through transformation of the existing educational system into a modern scientific mode of education. As background conceptualization, it has been kept in mind that madrasah education has played a key role in the gradual rise of fundamentalism.

Organization of the Study
The first section of the report discusses the initiation of Islamic education and the introduction of Madrasah education in the subcontinent. The arrival of Islam in the subcontinent and the origination and spread of Islam based education has been presented in this section. Section two analyses the position of Madrasah education in the national education policy of Bangladesh and the relevant political context. The third section discusses the existence and administration of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board as a separate board. The characteristics and educational activities of the different types of Madrasahs, the location and present status and relevant statistics are provided in section four. The next section examines the social and political views of Madrasah students, teachers and patrons. Assessment and evaluation of the quality of Madrasah education has been conducted in section six on the basis of the teaching methods of Madrasahs and other relevant academic information. Section seven presents a comparative picture of allocation in the education sector, which clearly denotes the existing discrimination in state allocations made through the years. The eighth section deals with the issue of potential job opportunities and fields of work for Madrasah-educated individuals and their contributions to the nation. Section nine discusses Madrasah education’s relationship with the women’s movement on the basis of collected and secondary information. Section ten explores the role of the Madrasahs in the context of the moral void existing in Bangladeshi society. The final section presents and examines the views of the civil society regarding Madrasah education.

Limitations of the Study
The study could have been strengthened by overcoming a few limitations. For instance, it was not possible to obtain a detailed picture of the activities of the Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board as an independent/individual board of education. Details regarding its administrative and management processes, the activities of the internal departments of the Board were also not available. It was not possible to obtain information regarding the curriculum development processes of the Board, or even to obtain a copy of the curriculum. In addition, the texts published by the Board were not easily available and it was not possible to observe enough Madrasahs – information which could have further strengthened the study.
Methodology

The various methodologies used in the data collection process involved interviews through questionnaires and observation of teaching techniques at Madrasahs and examination of the social life Madrasah related personnel. These were the methods used to collect primary data. Secondary sources include various publications related to the Madrasah education system as well as the overall educational system of Bangladesh, the Madrasah syllabus and textbooks developed by the Curriculum and Textbook Wing, and various relevant journals and periodicals. Newspaper content for the 1999-2000 period was reviewed. News items, reports, editorials, sub editorials, and essays were also focused on. Examination and analysis of journal articles, poster, graffiti and slogans of various (Islamic) political parties and student organizations as well as speeches made at waaz mehfils and (Islamic socio-political parties) political meetings were conducted.

Respondents for the interviews include Madrasah students, teachers and patrons and other Madrasah related personnel and civil society members from various areas in Bangladesh. Locations selected for the purposes of this investigation include Dhaka, Jessore, Khulna, Netrokona, Mymensingh, Chittagong and Sandwip through purposive random sampling. It should be mentioned that BNPS selected areas where the organization had existing programs. This mode of sampling has added richness and variety to the study locations making it representative as well as adding a new dimension to the study. The collected data has been analyzed and presented as findings/ recommendations. (...to be continued)

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Madrasah Education: An Observation (First published in September 2003)

Translated from original Bangla: Nadia Shobnam

Edited by: Rokeya Kabir, Publisher: Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, 13/14 Babor Road (1st Floor), Block B, Mohammadpur Housing Estate, Dhaka 1207, Phone 8111323, 8124899, Email: bnps@bangla.net., Copyright: BNPS, Cover design: Haradhan Chakraborty

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