Kashmir wants Azadi and Delhi’s funding for Madrasas too

Govt releases list of 362 Madrasas receiving Rs 3.47 Cr in year 2011

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Dec 13: Government of India’s funding to 362 Madrasas, that has already stirred a hornets’ nest in Valley, became public for the first time today when Commissioner-Secretary of School Education, Naseema Lankar, released complete list of these religion-based educational institutions for publication in newspapers today. Even as many people here suspect that the financial support to the non-state schools in the Valley has been introduced by India as a tool to neutralize the separatist ideology, a number of religious leaders sought an investigation and alleged that the funding has been conducted scandalously. According to them, many of the empanelled Madrasas do not exist anywhere in the localities mentioned by the government.

According to the details made public by the state government today, an amount of Rs 3,47,85000 has been released in favour of 362 madrassas who had applied for the funding under the centrally sponsored scheme in current year. Government Order No: 692-Edu of 2011 Dated 09-12-2011 makes it clear that the funding has been provided by Government of India vide GOI No:- F.8-9/2010-E.E.19 Dated:-28-03-2011 & Finance Deptt. U.O. NO:-FD/Res/17/SPQEM/2011-12/265 dated:-06-07-2011.

“Sanction is hereby accorded to the release of central assistance of Rs3,47,85,000.00(Rupees Three Crore,Forty Seven lac and Eighty Five Thousand only ) in favour of Directors of School Education of Kashmir/ Jammu for further release to 362 madrassas of Kashmir and Jammu Province as Grant-in-aid under  centrally sponsored Scheme for providing of Quality Education in Marassa(SPQEM) for incurring expenditure on salary, Teaching learning material, establishment of library  and Science/Computer labs/workshops”.

Of 362 madrassas in 17 districts of Jammu & Kashmir, highest number of the beneficiaries,71, are situated in the hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s home district of Baramulla, followed by 44 in Anantnag and 41 in Srinagar. In addition to these, funding from New Delhi has been released in favour of 30 madrassas in Budgam district, 14 in Kulgam, 12 in Pulwama, 11 in Ganderbal, 7 in Kupwara, 6 in Shopian and one in Bandipore. Jammu division has been a reasonable beneficiary with 35 madrassas in Rajouri, 33 in Doda, 21 in Ramban, 11 each in Jammu, Poonch and Kishtwar districts and 2 in Reasi.

Commissioner-Secretary School Education, Mrs Naseema Lankar, elaborated to Early Times that the scheme had been introduced by Government of India in 2010-11. She said it was for the first time that the Centre had released funds under this scheme in favour of beneficiary madrassas in Jammu & Kashmir. Thereafter, she dropped the line and informed by text that she could ‘call later’.

Knowledgeable sources in the state bureaucracy, however, informed that under the Centrally sponsored Scheme for Providing Quality Education to Madrassas (SPQEM) as many as 712 teachers of the 362 madrassas were being provided monthly remuneration of Rs 6,000 (Rs 72,000 per year) from current year. Maximum of three teachers of a particular madrassa are entitled to this benefit. While as Rs 1.28 Cr is being provided as salary of the teachers, they are additionally getting a total of Rs 26 Lakh for acquisition of study material. Besides, Rs 1.14 Cr is being provided for acquisition of science kits and books for libraries.

Precise reason behind Government’s decision to make these details public is not known. It is, however, significant that the state government has released this information at a time when a number of Valley’s religious leaders and organizers of Islamic educational institutions are accusing one another of “making comprises on freedom struggle” and receiving Government of India’s funding “secretly” for imparting “controlled education” to Muslim students in Kashmir.

One particular cleric, who has been professing Sufi-orientation of Islamic education and has firmly asserted under violence but has lately issued strongly anti-Indian statements over liquor and cinema promotion, has become key target of critics. In the last few days, he had been demanding an inquiry into the alleged Central funding to madrassas and claiming that he or his organization had neither sought nor received any such assistance from the state or the central government.

However, when the list became public by way of an official press release today, a number of schools run by this particular cleric’s establishment were found in it. He issued a fresh statement, admitted to the funding but alleged that a number of such madrassas, which according to him did not exist anywhere, had been favoured by the government.

Without mentioning any names, Geelani has been charging “Sarkari Maulvis” with working contrary to the interests of Kashmiris’ “freedom struggle”. Frequency of the Hurriyat hawk’s statements against state-funded educational institutions has remarkably increased in recent past. Government has now, wittingly or unwittingly, provided him a tool to strongly assert against the madrassas running on Government of India’s “secret funding”.

Officials in Department of School Education refused to accept that there was anything “secret, surreptitious or scandalous” in releasing of Central funding to 362 madrassas in Jammu & Kashmir. They insisted that the funding was being provided under a national scheme for madrassas throughout the country.

A senior official, however, admitted on the condition of anonymity that “a lot of politics” was attached to this scheme in J&K. He revealed that the list included dozens of unnamed madrasses and mentioned only the name of locality like Chrar-e-Sharief, Numbalhar etc. He claimed that the funding was supposed to be granted on recommendations of State Madrassa Board (SMB) and State Grant-in-Aid Committee (SGIAC) but neither of two existed in J&K.

Sources said that an expert committee of National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education (NMCME), constituted by Government of India in 2004, had suggested that madrassas be provided a linkage with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to provide for certification of academic levels, linkages with vocational education, improving the quality of education in modern subjects, introduced teacher training, enhancement of teacher salaries, strengthening of State Madarssa Boards for monitoring and raising awareness about education programmes for the Muslim community.

An amount of Rs 325 crore has been proposed for the scheme as per budget

provision made by Planning Commission in the 11^th Five Year Plan in India. It will cover a total of 4,500-6,000 Madrassas and provide honorarium to about 13,500--18,000 teachers in Madrassas all over the country during the 11th Plan period.

Graduates engaged for teaching Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Languages, Computer Application and Science, subject to availability of

a minimum of ten students in each subject, will be paid salary for 12 months @ Rs.6000/-p.m. and post Graduate/B Ed. Rs 12000/- For strengthening the libraries/book banks and providing teaching learning materials at primary/middle/Secondary and senior secondary levels, one time assistance upto Rs 50,000/-followed by an annual grant of Rs 5,000/- will be provided to each Madrassa. Upto Rs 15,000 is being paid to each beneficiary madrassa on account of purchasing Science kits, Maths kits, and other essential pedagogical equipment for teaching modern subjects.

Financial assistance will also be provided for establishment of

Science/Computer Labs/work shops in Madrassas at the Secondary/Senior

Secondary levels upto the a maximum of Rs 100,000 for each of the labs followed by an annual grant of Rs 5,000 for maintenance/ purchase of consumables.

END