Hamidul Ghazi, Secretary of All Jharkhand Madrasa Teachers Association, tells Outlook that in the absence of a State Madrasa Board, the madrasas affiliated with the state are unable to function properly and their teachers have to face numerous problems. For instance, during the previous BJP government’s term, the teachers were deprived of their salaries for three years. Ghazi says that this would not have happened had there been a Madrasa Board.

Ghazi, who is also the head maulvi of the Madrasa Hussainia Tajwidul Quran, located in the Mahagama block of Godda, Jharkhand, adds, “The teachers faced a lot of problems under the previous government. Their salaries were not paid for three years. It became difficult for them to run their households. They had to stop their own children's education. They managed somehow for two years by selling the little land they had.”

Chief Minister Hemant Soren cleared the outstanding dues as soon as his party in the state joined hands with the INDIA alliance, and the madrasa teachers now receive their salaries regularly. However, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had also promised the formation of a Madrasa Board in the state on the lines of Bihar, as part of its election manifesto. In more than four years since the party came to power, it has not made good on that promise.

Condition of the madrasas

There are three categories of madrasas in Jharkhand that are recognised by the state. The teachers of only one of these receive salaries from the government. These are the 186 madrasas with finance that are aided by the state. Then there are 40 unaided madrasas without finance which receive some amount of grant from the state. Finally, there are 549 unaided madrasas which do not get any kind of assistance from the government.

Data collected by minority affairs expert S. Ali and his organisation, the All Muslim Youth Association, shows that a total of 1,260 sanctioned posts for teachers exist in aided madrasas with finance, more than 600 of which have been lying vacant for the past several years. Forty-seven of these madrasas have a shortage of classrooms and libraries. The scholarships for clothes, shoes, bags and desks have been on hold since the time of the previous government. The central government’s Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas is in force in these establishments; however, the teachers who were inducted under the scheme in 2012 for imparting modern education through the teaching of science, social sciences, and languages have not been getting their salaries since 2015.

On the other hand, the unaided madrasas without finance have about 250 teachers on their payrolls and receive now and then small amounts of financial assistance from the state. The appeal for providing grants to the third category of unaided madrasas has been pending with the government since 2011.

Degrees of Aalim and Fazil not valid

In Jharkhand, all three categories of madrasas are governed by the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC). The JAC conducts examinations for Maulvi (equivalent to intermediate), Alim (equivalent to Bachelor of Arts – BA), and Fazil (equivalent to Master of Arts – MA), and also issues degrees. However, the Alim and Fazil degrees issued by the JAC do not have the status of valid BA and MA degrees. No one can apply for jobs or higher education on the basis of these degrees. Ali tells us, “Thousands of Alim and Fazil scholars in the state are staring at ruined futures. We and the people associated with the Madrasa Association have made several submissions to the government, asking that a university conduct the examinations and issue the degrees for Alim and Fazil in Jharkhand, as is done by the Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic and Persian University in Bihar. There is even a High Court directive in this regard. In spite of all this, the issue remains pending with the government.”

Board to be formed before elections: Minister

Ali alleges that the government is not serious about the madrasas. He says, “A Madrasa Board and a well-formulated set of rules are essential for the proper functioning and development of madrasas and for the appointment and promotion of their teachers, but we have neither of these in Jharkhand. In the absence of a Madrasa Board, the teachers and other people associated with madrasas are reduced to the position of supplicants in the courts of the JAC, the Education Department, and the ministers. The political parties exploit this situation.”

Jharkhand's neighbouring states Bihar, Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh all have their own Madrasa Boards. Jharkhand is an exception in this regard.

Hafizul Hasan belongs to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and is the Minister of Minority Welfare. Commenting on the Madrasa Board and related issues, he says, “I’m looking into it. All these problems of the madrasas will be resolved. I have asked for the drafts of the Madrasa Boards of Bihar, Odisha, and Bengal. The Jharkhand Board will also be constituted before the elections. Our government has faced constant disruption of late. This has impacted the speed of our efforts in this direction.”