'Madrasas Unsuitable For Proper Education', Says National Commission For Child Rights
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has submitted a written statement to the Supreme Court expressing concerns about the quality of education imparted through Madrasas. The statement came in the case of Allahabad High Court’s decision to strike down the ‘Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act 2004’.
In April, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s judgment saying that the High Court prima facia misconstructed the Act and nearly 17 lakh students will be impacted.
The NCPRC stated that children studying there are deprived of not only formal education but also benefits that are provided under the Right to Education Act, 2009 as Madrasas are exempted from the purview of the RTE Act.
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The commission referred to 3 types of Madrasas :
- Recognised Madrasas that impart religious education and may be imparting formal education but not per RTE Act 2009, and are recognized by State Madrasa Board and have a UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) code.
- Unrecognised Madrasas that never applied for recognition by the State Government due to lack of formal education, non-compliant infrastructure, etc.
- Unmapped Madrasas that never applied for recognition with the State and such Madrasas are common type in India, having the largest number of children enrolled.
The commission stated that whether these institutions provide quality education and the environment these institutions provide to children also remains unknown. The NCPCR said that children attending these unrecognized Madrasas are to be treated out of school, even if they provide regular education.
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As per the NCPCR, Madrasas work arbitrarily and violate constitutional mandates, the RTE Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act, of 2015. “A Madrasa is not only an unsuitable/unfit place to receive ‘proper’ education but also in the absence of entitlements as provided under Sections 19, 21,22, 23, 24, 25, and 29 of the RTE Act. “, the commission said. Madrasas also have an arbitrary mode of working with the absence of standardized curriculum and functioning, and follow an unsatisfactory and insufficient model for education, it said.
It also argued that the UP Board of Madrasa Education Act and other state Madrasa Board Acts do not comprise provisions for standard eligibility of teachers and teaching models according to the RTE Act which hampers the quality of education.
