Assalaam alai kum
Bismillah Irrahman Nirraheem
Dear Brothers and Sisters
It gives me great pleasure to stand in front of Muslim Intellectuals, Islamic Scholars and Students, Businessmen, Community activists and those who are concerned about the future of our youth and would like to address the issue of Madrasa Education.
Please allow me to do a self-introduction. My name is Javeed Mirza. I was born in Warangal, India. I came to Hyderabad to study Engineering at the Osmania University campus. I worked as an Engineer with the AP Public works dept. R&B, for a few years and then went to the USA to study, having been sponsored by my brother in law Mr. Mohd. Naziruddin Ali. Janab Naziruddin ali sahib was an extraordinary man. He also studied Engineering from Hyderabad, worked in Usha fans and then went to pursue higher studies in USA in the late 60’s. However, he was a man imbued with Islamic zeal and he became a founder member of MSA (Muslim Students of America). Subsequently he left his Engineering job to become a full time Office bearer of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America). He was made the General Secretary of NAIT (North American Islamic Trust) and worked in this capacity, until he died four years back.
While studying Engineering at Osmania campus I became actively involved in the student movement rocking the state, and also became a community activist. I was willing to let go a few years of my college study to devote to community work. In New York, which is my home town now and for the past 30 years, I chose to study Economics and undertook Graduate and Doctoral study in the subject. I chose a change in my career education as I thought a study of Economics will help me understand the dynamics of modern society better, and will help cope with the shortcomings of the system. I attended college while working full time first as a clerk and then as a High School Teacher. I took up the job of Teaching Minority kids (Black and Hispanic) for 13 years. I learned the methodology of Teaching. Going to college for my Grad and doctoral study in the USA for 10 years, and Teaching for 13 years, has given me a great perspective on Education and I have considered myself a Teacher since then. I left Teaching in 1996 to start Business, a new field altogether. I decided to enter into the IT field as I could see that in Hyderabad and in India, Information Technology was an emerging field with great scope. As a businessman, I had the pleasure of sponsoring and providing jobs to many hundreds of highly qualified men and women. I sponsored IT professionals from India as well as from Pakistan and Bangladesh and the Middle East to work in the USA and in our office in Banjara hills, Hyderabad office as well as in the New York office, there were a number of bright men who worked for my company, TAJ Software.
Today I stand in front of you as a Teacher, as a Businessman and as an Economist and pose the question. Where is Madrasa Education headed towards? As an outsider, I can look beyond the immediacy of the work and note the following problems:
Madrasa Education is catering to a huge chunk of our young men/women but has limited itself in scope. It has contented itself to Teach Hifz, Alim and in some institutions advanced courses like Kamil, Fazil and Mufti. By doing so, it is indeed preparing knowledgeable students who imbibe the history, the philosophy and precepts of Islam. However, most students who pass out are seen to be coming to a blind alley at the conclusion of the course. They are not prepared to enter the market. Market will only absorb them when they show skills that the market needs…. like a Motor Mechanic or a Welder or a computer operator. A typical Hafiz who masters Hifz has few options available for him… most of them have to contend with either becoming an Imam or a Muezzin in a rural or local mosque. However not too many jobs exist in our society that can absorb the tens of thousands of Hafiz who are churning out each year. The other option is to live on alms or to give Arabic Tuition. They lose self-respect by resorting to begging of Alms, and Tuition does not pay them enough to lead a decent life.
My first point therefore becomes ...Madrasa education should redirect itself to prepare the students to meet the Market demands through the Teaching of Vocational skills. However, to qualify for govt. vocational institutes like the ITI, students must pass Xth grade. To pass Xth grade, they must learn Mathematics, Social sciences, General Sciences, English and other subjects. I believe strongly that the learning of these subjects is absolutely essential for the mental grooming and economic well-being of every single person. Mathematics builds critical reasoning skills and Sciences teach the secrets of life. If we do not Teach these elementary skills, then it is like saying that you have grown a tree which has only one branch... the Madrasa education branch. However, if the Tree is to grow Big and strong it must have many branches, one for Science, one for Math, one for Computer Science etc., along with the one of Islamic Learning. My point is clear...We are preparing students for only one branch of learning and keeping them ignorant of so many subjects that have developed extensively. Madrasa Educators must understand this and work for an all-rounded grooming of the student.
I live in New York in a Jewish neighborhood. All Jewish kids attend private Jewish schools. Every kid is taught their religion and also taught all the subjects required to pass standard exams. They finish their religious education and then go on to attend College and come out academically high in their class. Education is one value that the Jewish community upholds dear. No wonder they have produced hundreds of Noble Prize winners while the Muslim community produced just a few. While the Govt. school in the USA works from 8am to 2.45pm for 5 days a week, the Jewish school goes on until 5pm every day and they teach 5.5 days a week. We can learn from them. It is NOT enough that we teach our kids Religious education. We need to make them ready to meet Market needs and also make them knowledgeable in various spheres of learning…. whether it is Political Economy, Engineering, Philosophy, Anthropology, Sociology etc.
Learning English is a must for every student in our modern world. For various reasons, English has developed ahead of other languages and is recognized as an International language. If you go to the Middle East and I have been to Libya, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and in all these places, I see a strong urge to learn English. If you check on the Internet, you will see that English language has 1000 times more content than Urdu or Arabic. If our young men need to become really learned, teach them English. It will expose them to hundreds of things that they would otherwise be ignorant of. It is seen that for every person who applies for a job, English and Soft skills are an essential must. Today the usage of computers is also considered an essential element of working skills. In the USA, children are being taught computer skills from Elementary school. Every college mandates that the student come with a computer. Having used computers for the past 14 years, I cannot understand how work can be done without the usage of computers. Let Madrasa education make it mandatory for every student to learn English and to learn Computer science.
Reform within the existing Madrasa setup. I would like to bring to attention two issues here. They are both related to living conditions. One is the low salary of the Teachers and the other is the quality of food given to the students. How can we expect a Teacher who is constantly thinking of providing food and other amenities to his children, be able to dedicate himself/herself fully to the task of Teaching? How can a student who is fed on Khatta (water with tamarind)/daal (water with lentil) and chawal (rice), obtain the nutrition necessary for his/her mental growth? Students need to be treated with affection and be allowed to express their creative instincts. Improvement in the living conditions of the Teachers and the students is a pre-requisite for better Teaching and learning.
We have thousands of Madrasas. Are they following a uniform syllabus and curriculum? Are they affiliated to the national Universities like the Deoband School? Does the certificate enable them to hold jobs in the Govt./Private sector or allow them to go abroad and study? We live in a global world. Thinking locally is not enough. Affiliation with prestigious universities like Al Azhar is possible. Taking their syllabus and implementing it is possible. What is stopping us from learning from Al Azhar’s accumulated knowledge of a thousand years? In USA, Islamic studies are an option in a number of Universities. Our bright students from the Madrasas can go and study there, provided they meet the qualifications like the possession of a universally recognized degree and pass English exam TOEFL.
To sum up, I have the following recommendations:
The Madrasa Institutional authorities complain that the finances available to them for education are little, and that it is impossible to implement the features mentioned above. I beg to differ. The Sachar committee has identified Muslim conditions today to be worse off than that of the SC/ST. The Muslim strength of 180 million and the favorable public opinion and awareness brought about by the Sachar committee should allow us to put pressure on the Govt. to release Funding for Madrasa education so that the suggested reforms can be implemented on a massive scale. We need to put pressure on the Muslim and other progressive leaders and request international sponsors and get the funds released. If the existing Muslim leaders refuse to work on the issue, then it is time we change them and opt for those who are sincere about the progress of Muslim children’s growth. Make our voice strong with a united stand and we will see all political parties and Govt. come begging with funds and facilities. Let us be clear about our priorities. Our top priority is the future and well-being of our youth and this is high above our other issues like the Babri Masjid. If the Govt. can spend 71,000 crores on a Vanity Fair called the Commonwealth games, then it can likewise generate another 100,000 crores and more for the welfare of the Muslim youth. The Waqf Board with its huge properties, can also unleash funds in favor of Madrasa education. We need to have a clear cut goal and have efficient and honest leadership to channel this money. Those who went to the Middle East and are looking invest in India, should consider doing Social Entrepreneurship, helping the Madrasa education learn English, Computer and Vocational skill.
What we have done today is to take an initiative. I call it the Madrasa initiative. It is meant to bring in reform in the Madrasa education. This is my opinion as an Educator and as a concerned Muslim citizen. We have assembled here excellent members of the Muslim society, Businessmen, Academicians, Madrasa Educators, Community activists etc. We need to start a dialogue and all of us work together. This is a humongous task that needs the concentrated thinking and effort of all sections of our society.
Lastly I want to point out that in the Business language we speak about Human resource as the final resource that makes the difference in Business. It can create Wealth or bring bankruptcy. By not allowing tens of millions of our youth to show their creative ability and nurture their potential we are losing this precious Human Resource. Are we not being short sighted by not opening the doors to potentially bright men and women? Are we not creating intellectually handicapped youth and guaranteeing their pauperization by allowing these dismal conditions to continue? By not working on opening up opportunities for the youth, are we not creating frustration in them? Where will this take them? It is time to think anew and to work on this crucial problem.