Madrasa Reforms: Issues and Challenges

Introduction

After the attacks on twin towers of the world trade center in New York on September 11,
2001, Pakistani madrasas became particularly the center of international attention. They
were thought to be the breeding ground for religious extremism and militarism. The
Pakistani and U.S. government used the madaris and influenced their curriculum to
intentionally encourage students to engage in sectarian militancy in the areas bordering
Afghanistan. Given the history of Pakistan’s involvement and support to Mujahideen in
Afghan war and alliance with Taliban the United States and other Western countries
started exerting pressure on the Government of Pakistan to control and regulate madrasas
effectively. Additionally, the fact that a majority of madrasa students come from resource
poor households and that they don’t have means to afford mainstream education lead the
Western think tanks conclude that reforming the madrasa curriculum and bringing them
to the mainstream of national education was a long term solution to what was considered
a grave security threat. Responding to the pressure, the Government initiated a number
of measures which generated debate, controversies and resistance. The madrasa
authorities are trying to guard their territory and to keep the state machinery at a safe
distance.

So far the attempts to bring madrasas to the mainstream of education have yielded
miserable results and a Rs. 5.7 billion worth mega project ended in total failure. But this
cannot be taken as yet another failure of a government project. It is the question of the
future of more than three million children, their role and contribution in the society and
the menace of unprecedented sectarianism and intolerance that would ultimately hamper
the possibilities and opportunities for personal and social development.

It is of utmost importance to address critical questions of the sincerity and vigilance of

the government, the design of the initiatives, the approach and interventions, and the
response of the madrasas; what makes federations of all denominations get together and
resist as one unit. And also, would the present focus on madrasas would help the cause of
education in Pakistan.

Strategic Objectives

 To find out and analyze the causes of the failure of Madrasa Reform Project and
its way forward

 To initiate advocacy campaign by conducting in-depth consultation process on the

roles and responsibilities of madrasa education in human development

Methodology
  The study started with desk research to have a background on madrasa education,
various initiatives to bring it in the mainstream of education and the response of
the madaris. A special focus has been given to Madrasa Reform Project.
 An attempt has been made to have the views of different stakeholders so that a
holistic picture and objective conclusions could be drawn. Ministries of Education
and Religious Affairs, Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority,
were interviewed. It was extremely difficult to have any information relating to
Madrasa Reform Project from the concerned ministries in Lahore. The Ministry of
Religious Affairs denied any information on madrasa reforms as according to
them the role of the ministry was to just keep the lists of madrasas registered with
the government. The actual registration took place with the Industries
Department. They didn’t have the breakdown based on gender, number of
students and teachers and their affiliation with various federations.i The
Department of Education (Schools) had no connection with Madrasa Reform
Project. It was a project of the Federal Ministry of Education and even the project
office was based in Islamabad. When asked the project was supposed to be
functioning at the national levels they must be coordinating at the provincial
levels what were their contact points in the provinces they showed complete
ignorance.ii Deputy Education Advisor of the Federal Ministry of Education at
Islamabad later told in a detailed interview with him that the Madrasa Reform
Project was implemented in Punjab direct from Islamabad. The principal of
Apprentices Training Center (ATC) and manager Al-Khair International Islamic
Center in Lahore were also interviewed to assess the running and impact of the
TEVTA interventions at madrasa level.
 In order to have views of the madrasa authorities it was considered pertinent to
interview the representatives of madrasa federations.
 There are interventions by certain NGOs to attempt bring madrasas in the
mainstream of education and society. There such initiatives were interviewed to
understand the meaning and the impact of such endeavors. The projects by Ali
Institute of Education, Sudhaar and Bargad were visited and interviewed.
 Consultation meetings were also held to brainstorm and strategize.

State of Education in Pakistan

In order to give a clear perspective to attempts of reforming and mainstreaming religious

schools it is important to have a vivid picture of the mainstream education, its strengths
and weaknesses. Does it provide learners with a clear worldview? Does it equip the
learners with tools of analysis? Does it create a culture of democracy, tolerance, social
justice and peaceful co-existence? Is it informed of the professional requirements of the
labor market? Does it prepare and groom the learners for practical and professional life?
Is it able to produce enlightened minds the society is so desperately in need of?

Human Development Report 2009 gives Pakistan a rank of 169 and 134 out of a total of
182 countries in combined gross enrolment ratio and adult literacy rate respectively. The
overall country human development index (HDI) stands at 141.iii This should not come as
a surprise given the dismal resource allocation for education in the national budget.
Despite policy promises of increasing the education budget to seven percent of the GDP
by 2015iv one witnesses a persistent downward trend in budgetary allocations. In the year
2009-10 the amount earmarked for the sector is two percent of the GDPv that is
substantially lower than the previous years; 2.5 percent was the budget for the year 2006-
7. The fact makes the picture bleaker that Pakistan’s expenditure on education remains
the lowest among the South Asian countries. Additionally, annual resource allocation
does not necessarily mean actual spending; big chunks of money could be taken away
from education and reallocated to other sectors. Project Management Unit of Ministry of
Education started a five year mega project worth Rs. 31.7 billion in 2007 to provide
missing facilities under President’s Education Sector Reform (PESR) Project. For the
year 2009‐2010, an amount of Rs. 2000 million was originally allocated which was later
curtailed to Rs. 800 million.vi Most recently, the federal minister for finance refused to
provide funds to the cash-strapped Higher Education Commission. Instead, he asked it to
generate its own resources.vii

With more than 6.8 millionviii out of school children Pakistan stands at number 117 out of
128 countries, according to UNESCO Education for All Development Monitoring Report
2010. A closer look at education for all development index shows worse rating for net
primary enrolment ratio that gives a rank of 123 while gender specific EDI puts the
country at number 121.ix With such dismal performance fulfilling international
commitments looks a far away dream.

The international parameters of access and equity and even quality are focused on
quantitative considerations like rate of enrolment, participation and retention which
merely opens the door for achieving the real purpose of education. The issues of
relevance of content and methodology, process of teaching and learning, performance
and outcomes, provision of tools of analysis and provocation of creativity remain
unaddressed. The content and method do not respond to the present day realities.
Children are made to memorize a certain volume of information no matter how irrelevant
it is to the realities of a child’s life. The system of assessment makes the learners swallow
a certain length of text without absorption and then throw out on the day of examination.
There is no preparedness for the job market and unemployment has created frustration
and despair among the youth. The system fails to inculcate civic values and behavioral
skills which is such a basic role of any system of education. There is nothing that
promotes pluralism, diversity and tolerance. How can such a system help learners polish
their faculties of critical and creative thinking? How can a mass of people be turned into
human capital that can take a nation to new heights of development?

There are thousands of schools in the country which exist under deplorable conditions.
They are ‘functional’ without boundary walls, learning space, furniture, latrines, drinking
water, teachers and what to talk about methodologies promoting joyful learning, co-
curricular activities, thought provoking interaction and exposure and reading facilities
like libraries. How many primary schools in the villages have more than two rooms and
one teacher for five to seven classes if those classes actually exist? How many schools
have science laboratories to promote scientific enquiry and how many schools have
computer labs to hone the problem solving and logical thinking skills?

Most of the public sector schools have lost credibility and trust in the eyes of the people.
Even the resource poor illiterate parents would prefe,r with all the resource crunch, to
send their children to the much more expensive private schools, if they can. The
mushrooming of all kinds of private schools all over the country is an ample evidence of
the failure of the government schools to deliver.

In this milieu, National Education Policy 2009 advocates a uniform national educational system
as a surety to equity and unity that accommodates diversity. It sees the uneven distribution of
resources and opportunities an outcome of injustice, political instability, inequity and poverty
which promotes social exclusion. And increased social exclusion finds expression in different
forms like ethnic strife, sectarianism and extremism.x The presence of private schools and
madaris is perceived as violation of the principle of uniformity and unequivocally wants them to
blend in the oneness of the national educational systems by way of curricula, educational
standards, costs and conditions and learning environment.xi

Poverty compels majority of the parents to send their children to madrasas not only for
education that help them earn merit and virtue in eyes of the Almighty but more
pressingly for food and shelter. Leaning to be religious functionaries in the mosques
enhances their social and economic status in a big way and unlike mainstream school
graduates they hardly face unemployment problems.

The endeavors to mainstream deeni madaris predate the present education policy but it
definitely represents the mindset that gave birth to actions like Madrasa Reform Project.
“Deeni Madaris shall be mainstreamed by introducing contemporary studies alongside
the curricula of Deeni Madaris to enhance prospects of their students to pursue higher
studies, research and excellence and to ensure employment, recognition and
equivalence.”xii

The policy proposes the establishment a madrasa education authority by the federal
government with the following mandate:
 Provision of opportunity for all existing and future Madaris to excel and enhance
the services they already provide to the nation.
 Arrangement of funds for education and socio-economic welfare of students.
 Provision of infrastructure and equipment for improvement of existing facilities.
 Provision of further training to enhance skills of teachers.
 Provision of support in vocational training to equip students to generate income.
 Provision of advice and assistance in streamlining policies, objectives and syllabi
to give graduates a competitive edge in the job market and for placement in
institutions of higher education.xiii

Madrasas in Pakistan
Before proceeding further to study the initiatives of the government to bring madrasas in
the mainstream of the education it is useful to have a glance on the genesis, mandate and
presence of madrasa in Pakistan.

Madrasas in their genesis were not meant to produce only khatibs and imams. The
objective was to educate people to produce human capital capable of offering
accountants, clerks, teachers, judges, bureaucrats, geographers etc. Dars-i-Nizami first
introduced by Mullah Nizamuddin Sihalvi (d.1747) included religious and secular
subjects as the objective was ‘both to equip the students for civil service jobs and as an
aid to understanding religious texts’.xiv In addition to Islamic law, Jurisprudence, Hadith,
and Tafsir (exegesis of the Quran), dialectical theology and life of the Prophet the
disciplines of grammar, rhetoric, prosody, logic, philosophy, Arabic literature, medicine,
mathematics and polemics were introduced. If there is a seriousness behind striking a
balance between religious and secular education the very origins of Dars-i-Nizami
provide a strong justification for bringing madrasas at par with the demands of the
present day world. Additionally, present day madrasas are not equipped to teach their
own curriculum in its entirety.

After the fall of Muslim rule in India the British introduced secular education that was
rejected by majority of the Muslims. Madrasas were seen as a means to fortify their
Islamic identity. Barring a few progressive initiatives madrasas locked themselves in to
the centuries old curriculum which was forward looking at the time of its genesis but had
become irrelevant to a great extent.

After the creation of Pakistan, madrasas continued to keep a guarded distance from the
system of mainstream education. In 1947, there was a negligible presence of madrasas;
the figures quoted by various sources range from 189 to 245 which dramatically
increased in the early 1980s thanks to state patronage General Zia ul Haq being at the
helm of affairs.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs website there are 19,104 registered
madrasas in the country as on 31 March 2010. Another four hundred and twenty seven
applications were in the process of registration.xv The data furnished by Punjab Auqaf
Department shows a different picture for the province of Punjab. The number of
registered madrasas before the promulgation of Societies Act (Second Amendment)
Ordinance 2005 is 6,346 as against the number of 5,977 and the ones registered after the
Ordinance are 6,422 as on 30 July 2010 that brings the total to 12,768 while the website
shows the presence of 11,465 madrasas in the province of Punjab.

No information is provided on the strength of students and teachers. Likewise, there is no

breakdown given based on their affiliations with various Wafaqs. According to Pakistan
Education Statistics 2007-08, the then 12,448 registered madrasas had a total enrolment
of 1.603 million and a total of 55,680 teachers.xvi
Wafaq-ul-Madaris-al-Arabia representing Sunni Hanafi Deobandi denomination claims
to have 15,000 madrasas registered with them. The actual number could be somewhere in
the range of 40,000.

It is interesting to note the presence of 140 madrasas in the Islamabad Capital Territory as
against 786xvii primary, middle and secondary mainstream schools.

Registered Madrasas in Pakistan*

Registered Before the Promulgation of the Societies Act (Second Amendment)
Ordinance 2005
Punjab 5977
Sindh 2307
Khyber Pakhtunkwa Data Not Available
Balochistan 449
ICT 15
Registered After the Promulgation of the Societies Act (Second Amendment)
Ordinance 2005
Punjab 5488
Sindh 3112
Khyber Pakhtunkwa 1284
Balochistan 351
ICT 120
Total 19104
Applications for Registration in Process
Punjab 275
Sindh 101
Khyber Pakhtunkwa 26
Balochistan 05
ICT 20
Total 427

*As on 31 March 2010

All these madrasas are not homogenous in terms of physical space, strength of students,
courses on offer and strength of teachers. They range from madrasas with imposing
buildings, sophisticated equipment and thousands of students to one to two room space
with limited number of students with one teacher. Majority of madrasas provide a source
of self-employment. As madrasas are seen by the local communities as providers of
religious education and as they play a role especially in the death rites they receive
support in cash and kind.

In smaller madrasas which can be graded as maktab and where the focus is on nazra and
tajweed many graduates do not know how to read and write what to talk about other
educational attainments. But madrasas graduated young men are steeped in the doctrine
of armed jihad against the enemies of Islam. As a result a number of these madrasas
allegedly became recruiting grounds for Jihadis to fight against the enemies of Islam in
Afghanistan and elsewhere. Some of them are now turning against their own government
as suicide bombers or assassins. This is not a good omen for a hitherto a secular and
tolerant society entrenched in the sufi traditions of universal brotherhood.

The learners who populate these madrasas come generally from resource poor households
and are children without shelter. There are certain lower middle class households which
send their children to madrasas for hifz (memorizing of the Quran) and after that to the
mainstream schools.

Governance of Madrasas

Madrasas are organized on the basis of their particular denominations. Every

denomination has its own federation of religious schools. Following the typical structure
of Societies Act, 1860, all the madrasas that choose to affiliate with the federation, which
in effect are the members of the said society, constitutes the general body while a selected
body of ulema forms the executive body. Large number of madrasas are affiliated to
these federations as the certificates given by them ensure recognition and uniformity. The
affiliation does not mean that madrasas are managed and controlled by the federations but
undoubtedly there is a sense of fraternity among the web of religious schools.

Madrasa Federations in Pakistan

Name Affiliation Headquarters Date Established
Wafaq-ul-Madaris-al- Ahl-e-Hadith Faisalabad 1955
Salafia
Wafaq-ul-Madaris-al- Deobandi Multan 1959
Arabia
Wafaq-ul-Madaris Shia Lahore 1959
Shia
Tanzim-ul-Madaris Barelvi Lahore 1960
Rabitatul-Madaris-al- Jama’at Islami Lahore 1983
Islamia

The data available shows that the highest number of madrasas belongs to the Hanafi
Deobandi school of thought followed by Hanafi Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadith, Jamat-e-Islami
and Shia respectively.

Madrasa Reform Initiatives

Pakistan Madrasa Education Board

In 2001, Pakistan Madrassa Education Board was set up for establishing model madrasas;
improving and securing the uniformity of the standard of education and integration of the
system of Islamic education imparted in madrasas within the general education system;
securing the registration, regulation, standardization and uniformity of the curricula and
standard of education of madrasas; imparting specialized Islamic education in Pakistan
along with the general education system; maintaining the autonomous character of
religious schools; bringing education and training imparted in religious institutions in
consonance with the requirements of the modern age and the basic tenets and spirit of
Islam; providing greater opportunities in national life for the graduates of madrasas;
according recognition of the degrees, certificates and asnad (certificates) awarded by
madrasas; and regulating their examination system.

After establishing the model madrasas the idea was to bring reforms in 15,000 existing
madrasas on the pattern of the already established model madrasas. Five major madaris
groups were supposed to nominate one member each for the board but they declined to
do so. Additionally, the madrasas were required to get affiliation with the Board which
they did not accept. Since the formation of Madrasa Education Board, only three model
madrasas could be established. A few hundred madrasas from Barelvi denomination did
affiliate with the Board but later they withdrew succumbing to the pressure from the
madrasa federations. The madrasa boards had warned that they would cancel
the registration of any madrasa that opted for affiliation with the PMEB, and the MMA
government in the then NWFP advised madrasas to register instead under the existing
Societies Act. By registering under the Societies Act, madrasas gained legal sanction for their
existence and, at the same time, circumvented any official control on their functioning.

The federation of the different organizations of the madrasas, thus, refused to cooperate
with the government either on the registration issue or on the question of curriculum
reform. As a result, the Board remained dysfunctional. At present, there are three model
madrasas working under the Board - in Karachi and Sukkhar for boys and in Islamabad
for girls.

Madrasa Reform Project

“We have formulated a new strategy for madrasas and there is need to implement it so as
to galvanize their good aspects and remove their drawbacks. We have developed new
syllabi for them, providing for teaching of Pakistan studies, mathematics, science and
English along with religious subjects.…To me, students of religious schools should be
brought into the mainstream of society. If any one of them opts to join college or
university, he should have the option of being equipped with modern education. If a child
studying at a madrasa does not wish to be a prayer leader and he wants to be a bank
official or seek employment elsewhere, he should be facilitated. It would mean that the
students of madrasas should be brought to the mainstream through a better system of
education”,xviii President Pervaiz Musharaf expounded the rationale of the new initiative
months before launching Rs. 5.7 billion mega project on reforming the madrasas in the
country.

In August 2002, Madrasa Reform Project was launched with the broad aim to mainstream
madrasa education with formal education system through teaching subjects like English,
Mathematics, General Science and Pakistan Studies to students from primary to
secondary level and English, Economics, Computer Science and Pakistan Studies to
Higher Secondary level in 8,000 madrasas. The ambition of reforming 15,000 madrasas
under Pakistan Madrasa Education Board was brought down to almost half. The other
objectives were as follows:

o To integrate religious education with formal education and to bridge gulf

between two parallel streams of education.
o To establish and strengthen lines of communication with madrasas.
o To improve the quality of education through provision of textbooks, sport
facilities, 5,000 computers, 1,000 printers, equipments etc. The computers
and printers were only for higher secondary level.
o To release one time grant to madrasas for improvement of their libraries.

The five year project from 2002-03 to 2006-07 targeted 1.5 million students – 4,000 of
primary level, 3,000 of middle and secondary levels and 1,000 of higher secondary level.

Targets and Achievements of Madrasa Reform Project

Targets Achievements
Salaries of 32,000 teachers of 8,000 Salaries of 2,374 teachers of 507 madrasas
schools Punjab 56
Sindh 46
NWFP 81
FATA 107
FANA 32
AJK 121
ICT 12
Introducing formal subjects in 8,000 Introduced formal subjects in 507 madrasas
madrasas to benefit 1.5 million students and benefitted 50,000 students
Releases and utilization of Rs. 5759.395 Released and utilized Rs. 417.514 million
million
Source: Ministry of Education, Islamabad.

Unfortunately, the government failed to meet its target of reforming 8,000 religious
schools within five years; the three ministries involved in the project blaming each other
for its failure. Only 6.3 percent i.e. 507 out of 8,000 targeted madrasas and 3.3 percent of
the students could be reached, spending 417.514 million rupees and the rest of the
5,341.881 million allocation has lapsed.xix

Coordination and consensus building remained a great challenge that could not be
surmounted. National Steering Committee, the apex decision making body under
Ministry of Education could not convene a single meeting during the five years of the
project that shows the extant of the slackness of the government machinery. Lack of
coordination and clarity on the respective roles of the ministries involved and mistrust
between Ministry of Education and Ministry of Religious Affairs were the stumbling
blocks to take the project forwards. Lack of preparedness, shared vision and commitment
within the state departments provided ample playing ground for the madrasa authorities.
The madrasa federations took full advantage of the confusion of the state machinery and
resisted the reforms with force. Interestingly, all madrasa federations otherwise at
daggers drawn got together and pushed the reforms back united under the flag of Ittehad-
e-Tanzeemat Madaris Deenia.

Under the new policy, Madrasa Education (Welfare) Authority would be established to
register foreign students, introduce uniform syllabus and audit of funds. The new
proposal under consideration is to

 Establish 20 model madrasas; four in each province and one each in FATA,
FANA, AJK and ICT at a cost of Rs. 366.715 million
 Improvement of madrasa education system for 2000 madrasas with a budget of
Rs. 3402 million
It is not known with madrasa authorities still resisting on what grounds and preparedness
the new project has been proposed.

Madrasa Response to Reform Initiatives

It is of vital importance to understand the root causes of the resistance from the madrasa
leadership to accept the changing socio-economic and political realities and
accommodate them in their curriculum and educational system which is very close to the
spirit of Islam. Resistance from madrasa leadership to accept participation of other
stakeholders in the management of madrasas is rooted in their monopoly on imparting the
religious knowledg. As one madrasa administrator put it, how does the Government know
anything about the administration of religious education; they know nothing. This
monopoly gives them not only religious leadership but tremendous amount of political
power, especially when the political will and the government’s writ is so weak.

In the case of the Deeni Madaris (Voluntary Registration and Regulation) Ordinance
2002, the government sought voluntary registration of madrasas. Several deadlines were
announced but the response from the madrasas was of continued defiance. It was only
when the second ordinance was amended to remove the requirement of reporting the
income and expenditure statements to the government that the madrasas agreed to
registerxx. Article twenty one of the Societies Act 1860 that was inserted by the Societies
Registration (Amendment) Act 2005 (XIII of 2005) and substituted by the Societies
Registration (Amendment) Act 2006 (VII of 2006) reads as follows:

“Registration of Deeni Madaris.– (1) All Deeni Madaris, by whatsoever name called,
shall not operate without getting themselves registered:
Provided that the Deeni Madaris, which are established after the commencement of
this Act, shall get themselves registered within one year of their establishment.
Explanation. One Deeni Madrassah, having more than one campus, shall need
only one registration.
(2) Every Deeni Madrassah shall submit annual report of its educational
activities to the Registrar.
(3) Every Deeni Madrassah shall cause to be carried out audit of its accounts
by an auditor and submit a copy of its audit report to the Registrar.
 (4) No Deeni Madrassah shall teach or publish any literature which promotes
militancy or spreads sectarianism or religious hatred:
Provided that nothing contained herein shall bar the comparative study of various
religions or schools of thought or the study of any other subject covered by the Holy Quran,
Sunnah or the Islamic jurisprudence.
Explanation. In this section “Deeni Madrassah” means a religious institution and
includes a Jamia, Dar-ul-Uloom, School, College, University or called by any other
name, established or operated primarily for the purposes of imparting religious education,
which provides boarding and lodging facilities.”

As regards the inclusion of formal school curriculum, Madrasa authorities agree to the
idea of incorporating mainstream school subjects like English, Pakistan Studies, General
Science and Computer Science in their curriculum but they insist on having a separate
Madrasa Education Board that would be independent of other education boards and
would be run by the madrasa authorities themselves. In the words of Maulana Hanif
Jullundri, ‘madaris have no objection against secular education. On the contrary, it is
their own agenda. Since 1989, in Jamia Al-Khair nobody can get admission without
holding a matriculation certificate. Teachers would be hired in accordance with the
standards set by the government and the curriculum prescribed by the federal board
would be followed. All five federations want establishment of madrasa education board
through an act of parliament. If Agha Khan University could be allowed a separate board
why can’t madrasas have a separate board?’ He further maintained, the government
should have the clarity what they want to do. Do they want to reform madrasas or to
control them?

In July 2003, the Wafaq-al-Madaris al-Arabia, representing Sunni Hanafi Deobandi schools,
decided to include computer science and other subjects in its prescribed curricula, in line with
the official madrasa reform policy. It seems though the decision has been taken in principle
but in reality a majority of madrasas offering pre-dars e Nizami education are limited in their
work to Nazra (reading the text of the Holy Quran without knowing the meaning) and Hifz
(memorizing the text of the Holy Quran).
At present, the syllabus of Dars e Nizami for boys that is spread over a period of twelve
years and taught by Wafaq-al-Madaris al-Arabia includes subjects of English, Urdu, Social
Studies, Pakistan Studies, Science and Mathematics from grade six to ten. The curriculum for
girls is different from the one for boys (See Annex 2). Interestingly, girls are offered
admission after they pass matriculation examination and boys can get admission after
elementary education.

TEVTA Technical Training for Madrasas – A Success Story

While Madrasa Reform Project was dying out without yielding any results Technical
Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) launched an innovative project
called TEVTA Special Training Program for Deeni Madaris to impart training in the
latest technical and vocational skills to madrasa students in their own premises all over
the province of Punjab. Under the program, TEVTA has established technical training
centres in thiry madrasas and offering short courses of three to six months duration in
three streams — technical, vocational and commerce — in 58 different trades.

TEVTA is responsible for provision of machines, equipment, teaching materials,

consumables and the instructors to madrasas, to conduct examinations and award
certificates to successful students. No fee is charged from the students. On the other hand,
the madrasa has to provide suitable space for teaching and workshop, organize
admissions and ensure sixteen to twenty students for one class. Only a registered madrasa
is entitled to sign memorandum of understanding for the training.
Madrasas send in the applications to TEVTA. Funds are released to government technical
training institutes which in turn sign MOUs with madrasas.

TEVTA established its first Government Technical Training Centre at Jamia Islamia
Kamoki, on the GT Road, Gujranwala as a pilot project with trades of electrical wiring,
technician and HVRAC technician. At the moment, TEVTA is training students of thirty
madrasas – thirteen for boys and seven for girls - in different parts of Punjab.

Madrasas Receiving Training from TEVTA

# Attached Institute Madrasa
1 GTTI, Gulberg, Lahore Madrasa Darul Quran wa Tarteel, Lyton
Road, Lahore
2 GTTI, Mughalpura, Lahore Darul Uloom Muhammadia, LOCO
Workshop, Mughalpura, Lahore
3 ATC, Township, Lahore Al-Khair International Islamic Center, Johar
Town, Lahore
4 GVTI(W), Jia Musa, Lahore Madrasa Jamia Qasimia Lilbanaat, Shahdara,
Lahore
5 GVTI(W), Sahiwal Jamia Rahimia, Fateh Sher Road, Sahiwal
6 GTTI, Sahiwal Jamia Uloom e Sharia, G. T. Road, Sahiwal
7 GTTI, Sheikhupura Jamia Nizamia Rizwia, Nabi Pura,
Sheikhupura
8 GTTI, Gujranwala Al-Madina University, Chan da Qila, G. T.
Road, Gujranwala
9 DMTC/GTCC, Mojianwala Madrasa Siraj ul Huda, Mianwal Ranjha,
Phalia
10 GPI, Sialkot Darul Uloom Dajdar e Madina, Uggoki
Road, Shahab Pura, Sialkot
11 District Manager Jamia Islamia Sallar, Kamoki, District
Gujranwala/Hafizabad Gujranwala/Hafizabad
12 GVTI(W), Jehlum Jamia Hanafia Taleem ul Islam (M), Madni
Mohalla, Jehlum
13 GVTI(W), Block 13, Sargodha Jamia tu Salehaat, Jinnah Colony, Sargodha
14 GTTI, 47-NB, Sargodha Jamia Arabia Qasim ul Uloom, Jinnah
Colony, Sargodha
15 GVTI(W), Block 13, Sargodha Jamia Umm e Aiman Lil Banaat, Company
Bagh, Sargodha
16 GTTI, Mianwali Jamia Akbaria, Mianwali City
17 GTTI, Faisalabad Jamia Sulfia, Lahore Road, Jamilabad,
Faisalabad
18 GVTI (W), Jhang Madrasa Fatima ul Zahra, Haveli Bahadar
Shah, District Jhang
19 GTTI, Jhang Madrasa Ghausul Islam, Purani Eid Gah,
Jhang Sadar
20 GTTI, Rawalpindi Markazi Madrasa Darul Tajweed-o-Hifzul
Quran, Al-Khalil Quran Complex, DAV
College Road, Rawalpindi
21 GTTI, Bahawalnagar Jamia Asaat ul Aloom (M&F), Markazi
Jamia Masjid, Chishtian
22 GTTI, Khanewal Road, Multan Jamia Khair ul Madaris, Multan
23 GVTI (W), Khanewal Madrasa Ghosia Jamia ul Aloom (W),
Khanewal
24 GCC, Multan Cantt Jamia Arabia Anwar ul Uloom, Multan
25 GTTI (W), Shah Rukn e Alam Sadar-ul-Aloom (M&F), Shah Rukn e Alam
Colony, Multan
26 GIT/GPI, R.Y.Khan Madrasa Faiz Raza, By Pass Road, Rahim
Yar Khan
27 GPI, Layyah Madrisa Jamia Hanfia Rizvia Zia ul Quran,
Mehar Abad, Multan Road, Layyah
28 GTTI, D. G. Khan Jamia Islamia Rahimia, Bus Stand, Dera
Ghazi Khan
29 GTTI, Bahawalpur Jamia Owaisia Rizvia (Serani Masjid), Eid
Gah Road, Bahawalpur
30 GTTC/DMTC, Yazman, Adara Noor ul Islam, Lodhran
District Bahawalpur
Source: TEVTA

6,000 madrasa students have received training from TEVTA in 30 thirty madrasas.
According to Deputy Manager Deeni Madaris TEVTA, there is no resistance to their
program from madrasas. On the other hand, there are one hundred more applications they
have received to launch TEVTA program in their madrasas.

Al-Khair International Islamic Center – One of the Beneficiaries

Government Apprenticeship Training Center in Lahore is providing training to thirty

seven students of Al-Khair International Islamic Center in two trades – Certificate in
Computer Applications (CCA) and Electrical. Both are of six month duration. Twenty
students are learning in the impressive computer lab and seventeen in the well equipped
lab to develop qualified electricians.

TEVTA released an annual budget of Rs. 1,284,500 for the training out of which Rs.
1,096,389 were over the year for two batches – 38 students in the first batch and 37 in the
current one. All expenses are borne by the government. Examination and certification is
the mandate of the Punjab Board of Technical Education that announces the examination
schedule and conducts the examinations simultaneously all over the Punjab.

The in-charge of the Center was happy with the performance of the TEVTA initiative and
said religious education was important for education and preaching while technical
instruction was necessary for employment and earning a living. He also shared the future
plans of Al-Khair. They wanted to start a three year diploma course on technical
education on their own. For certification, they intended to affiliate with TEVTA.

Engagement of Non-Governmental Organizations with Madrasas

Some non-governmental organizations have engaged themselves with madrasas to break

their isolation, dispel the stereotypes about madrasa students and to bring them in the
mainstream of educational and social life. Three selected organizations are: Bargad for
Youth Development, Sudhaar and Ali Institute for Education.

Bargad - Organization for Youth Development has been working with madrasas for girls
since 2003. To begin with, ten madrasas were surveyed to identify skills and trainings for
madrasa girls. Based on the findings trainings were organized on beautician, cooking
course, tailoring, embroidering. A dialogue was simultaneously initiated on gender equity
and the status of women in Islam. Later, a training manual was developed on the status of
women in Islam and trainings were conducted for teachers and learners of selected
madrasas in district Gujranwala. A sports gala is now in the offing.

The initial response of madrasas is of distrust and they are resistant to change. As women
are generally not independent in running the affairs of the seminaries it is not easy to
open a window. But relatively educated heads who are independent in decision making to
some extent are easier to deal with and to initiate a dialogue with them. Overall, Bargad
has a very positive relationship with more than twenty five madrasas for girls. The initial
ice is broken. Now Bargad receives regular invitations from them to participate in their
activities that is testimony of a smooth relationship. The planned sports gala is another
encouraging feature of the mutual engagement. The girls would participate in the sports
and games, naat and qiraat competitions in big a way.

Sudhaar – a Lahore based NGO – launched Madrassah Mainstream Project in 2007 in

district Kasur with the objective to bring madrasa students into mainstream education to
provide them development opportunities and to build bridges with mainstream
development. The initial response from heads of madrasas was of mistrust but after a
sustained dialogue they were convinced and the program could be launched. Eight non-
formal education centers were established in seven madrasas. Before Sudhaar
interventions the children involved were learning how to read the Holy Quran and then
memorize (hifz) the scriptures. The project also engaged children in physical sports,
recreational trips, celebration of various events and drawing and quiz competitions. After
health screening by the District Health Department, children were linked with health
facilities. Child protection, especially corporal punishment was given a special focus.

Majority of the parents valued the formal school education and wished further school
education for their children. They greatest impact of the project is expressed in these
madrasas making formal primary education a regular component of their program. There
are twenties of madrasas who have requested the NGO to start a similar program with
them also.

Ali Institute for Education launched a sixteen month Madrassa Teachers Training
Programme aimed at building the capacity of madrasa teachers in English language and
professional teaching skills. The program started with thorough need analysis of madrasa
teachers that included women and men both. It included subject knowledge, lesson
planning, knowledge of learning styles, life skills, child-centred learning approaches,
questioning skills, use of audiovisuals, development of learning materials and
documentation skills, knowledge of assessment, assessment tools and curriculum. Based
on the findings the program was developed. During an interview with the researcher the
program participants expressed their happiness on the contents, environment and attitude
of the teachers. They could also have an opportunity to interact with madrasa students of
different denominations. Their interaction over a period facilitated a better understanding
of each other and a climate of mutual respect.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Mainstream System of Education Itself Begs for Reforms and Resource Allocation

The mainstream system of education in Pakistan is failing and has produced one of the
worst indicators in the world. The system representing more than 38 million learners is
marred with inefficiency, ineffectiveness, low attainment and poor quality with no
preparedness and response to the job market. The challenge of access, retention, quality
and equity seem to be insurmountable. Teaching is still based on memorization and rote
methods and assessment is more of a test of memory. The curricula and teaching have
failed to produce responsible citizens, to cultivate belief in democratic practices,
tolerance and peaceful existence, to accept diversity, to cultivate recognition of the
equality between the sexes and a belief in gender equity and to create an understanding of
the environment and compassion for fellow human beings. Studies show that there is less
unemployment among the graduates of madrasas than the ones from mainstream schools.

Undoubtedly, the huge population of three million madrasas cannot be ignored and it is
imperative to bring them in the mainstream of education and socioeconomic life. The
state is responsible for their wellbeing and bright future. But there are serious questions
about the capacity and capability of delivering for the meaningful education of more than
forty million youth in the educational institutions.
Mainstreaming is not just teaching certain subjects being taught in what are called the
formal schools. It is to engage the teachers and the learners of madrasas in the discourse
of the issues of the contemporary world; the issues may relate to the environmental
problem, the economic question and the social issues like gender equity, citizenship etc.
Logical reflection, questioning and enquiry, that is the spirit of Islam, has to be the
method and process of the educational activity.

The national educational system is in serious need of revolutionary steps, not just
rhetoric, to revamp the system and to ensure results based quality education.

Madrasas are not as Resource Poor as the Mainstream System of Education is.
Madrasas don’t Need Exclusive Mega Projects.

There is no doubt the children who enroll in madrasas generally come from resource poor
households but that does not mean that madrasas themselves are confronted with
financial crunch. The very fact that they provide food and shelter in addition to the
education is a testimony to the availability of enough resources. Even the smaller
madrasas provide a handsome living to the owners and managers of the establishments.
No established madrasa is ever closed down for unavailability of resources.

The budgetary focus on madrasas, therefore, is disproportionate if compared with the

resource allocation to the mainstream schools. The annual grant for a primary school that
includes repairs and maintenance, procurement of learning and teaching aids,
arrangement of sports facility etc. is a meager amount of Rs. 20,000 per annum and there
is no guarantee that schools would get that every year. Majority of Pakistan’s population
still lives in rural areas and how does a typical primary school look like? A typical
government primary school in a village would have two rooms, one or two teachers, if
functional for five to six classes. The school may not have boundary walls, latrines,
drinking or safe drinking water. There is no guarantee that children have furniture to sit
on. Senior classes may have benches while young kids have no choice but to sit on the
floor or to bring empty fertilizer bags from home to sit on.xxi There is hardly a system of
monitoring of schools in place; the reason being the inefficiency of the system and lack
of resources both.

The education of the children of Pakistan, including those studying in madrasas, is state
responsibility. Madrasa students also deserve serious attention from the concerned
department and organizations. There must be budget allocation in proportion to the total
number of children in schools – government, private and madrasa. Overemphasis raises
questions and creates suspicion.

Madrasas are not in dire need of financial resources; what is really needed is ensuring
intellectually stimulating environment.

What is Really Needed is to Break the Barrier of Exclusion, to Bring Them to the
Mainstream of Life at All Levels and to Engage with Madrasas on Issues Pertaining
to Present Day Issues and Realities.
The pre-requisite is to hit the wall of mistrust through engaging in ongoing dialogue with
madrasas on social, economic, technological, cultural and political issues affecting our
lives. Historically, madrasas were seen as centers of economically lower classes and the
population there was thought to be living on charity and not worthy of any attention.
They were stuff for not very coveted positions of imams and khatibs who are in demand
for certain rituals of birth, marriage and death. In the present day scenario madrasas also
figure in in the discourse of extremism and militarism. On the other hand, madrasa
students themselves don’t feel very comfortable with people outside their circles. They
have developed a mindset that the majority population don’t see them at par and is not
approving of their life style. As a result, when the graduates of mainstream and madrasa
education come together there is a visible suspicion about each other. We need to melt
the iron curtain between the two distrusting worlds by provision of platforms that could
facilitate dialogue and exchange of ideas. Such platforms could be instrumental in
promoting a culture of tolerance and peace.

Can Enlightened Minds be Developed through Technical Training or Subjects Like

English or Mathematics?

A person immersed in dogmatism and resultant intolerance cannot be taught open

mindedness and peaceful co-existence through memorizing pages of irrelevant textbooks
or teaching how to fix a bulb holder or a fan. “The mid-1960s also witnessed important
curriculum reforms in the madrassas. Among other things, the most important reform in
major madrassas was the introduction of the English language and other modern subjects,
especially in the fields of comparative religion, history, and law. Some prominent
madrassas in Punjab linked their courses of studies with the general education
curriculum, thus enabling their students to acquire degrees from the government schools
and colleges and obtain jobs in the “secular” sector also. The younger generation of
prominent ulema families was especially encouraged to acquire modern (English)
education to prepare them to deal with the state authorities on the one hand, and with
their modernist and fundamentalist adversaries on the other. This paid enormous
dividends during the Bhutto and Zia periods. Maulana Taqi Usmani (son of Maulana
Mufti Muhammed Shafi) of Karachi, Pir Karam Shah of Sarghoda, and Maulana Samiul
Haq (son of Maulana Abdual Haq) of Akora Khatak and others among their cohorts, by
dint of their exposure to modern education and facility with the English language—
besides, of course, their traditional madrassa education— were appointed as federal
Shariat Court judges, and as members of the Council of Islamic Ideology and many other
newly created Islamic institutions, commissions, and committees during the Zia
period.”xxii

Promoting peace and harmony requires educational interventions of a different kind.

It is Important to Engage the People of Pakistan in a Constructive Debate through

Projecting Progressive and Inclusive Models of Education on Media
Progressive interpretations of Islam or such initiatives by the non-clerical representatives
of the society are seen with a kind of suspicion when received in the mist of such
propaganda that all those ideas were the agenda of the West, anti Islam and anti Muslims.
Ironically, no genuine efforts have been made to win legitimacy for the reform. It is not
enough to engage with madrasa clergy who are guardians of orthodoxy and who have to
jealously guard their constituency. As there is no clear picture presented of the proposed
reforms a confused controversy emerges and the public at large is left guessing and
making confused decisions. Instead of creating confusion about the possible shape of a
progressive model of madrasa education it is imperative to take one’s case to the people.
Presenting that model on the media has a great potential of getting public approval.

Dars e Nizami Curriculum Warrants Serious Gender Analysis

Even a cursory glance at the Dars e Nizami curricula shows a substantial difference in
curriculum for girls and boys. There are certain text books included which promote
gender inequity and imbalance. It would be important to do a serious gender analysis and
to see how it follows the highly equitable spirit of Islam.

Madrasas Should be Brought under the National Education System

Ministry of Education should be responsible for setting the standards for the running of
madrasas, their curriculum and assessment like rest of the educational institutions in the
country. Given the specialized nature of the religious education, like any other
specialized field of education madrasa, federations should be given representation in the
decision making bodies within the education department, text book boards and other
allied organizations. A sincere and genuine effort is imperative to build an environment
of mutual trust that is based on give and take.

TEVTA Offers a Useful Model of Collaboration for Technical Education

TEVTA is taking the services of technical education to the door steps of the beneficiaries
without charging any costs to the madrasas or to the learners. The scheme has multiplied
the opportunities and has opened additional windows of employment for the students and
graduates of madrasas. The successful spread of the scheme all over the province of
Punjab in a short period of time provides a learning opportunity for planners and
executers of so many failed schemes.

As the graduates of mainstream schools face a serious challenge to earn a living and
unlike the madrasa graduates they cannot absorb in the job market of mosques and other
religious institutions, they also deserve a serious focus in terms of technical education
from organizations like TEVTA.

Madrasas should be Involved in the Mission of Education for All as Partners.

Endeavors should be made to from both sides to create an environment of trust and
understanding to promote the agenda universal education in the country. NGO,
government and madrasa partnerships can prove very useful and pay the necessary
dividends.

Education Department should be Entrusted with Dealing with Madrasas like Other
Schools.
Annex 1
List of Registered Madrasas in Punjab
# District No. of Registered No. of Total No. of
Deeni Madaris Registered Registered
Before Promulgation Deeni Madaris Deeni Madaris
of Ordinance After Before and
Promulgation After
Promulgation
of Ordinance
1 Lahore 589 518 1107
2 Kasur 200 219 419
3 Okara 234 131 365
4 Sheikhupura 42 156 198
5 Nankana 29 88 117
6 Gujranwala 124 199 323
7 Gujrat 101 166 267
8 M.B.Din 73 125 198
9 Sialkot 169 202 371
10 Hafizabad 30 67 97
11 Narowal 54 131 185
12 Rawalpindi 104 212 316
13 Chakwal 26 22 48
14 Jhelum 80 77 157
15 Attok 71 115 186
16 Faisalabad 268 219 487
17 T.T.Sing 122 114 236
18 Jhang 244 141 385
19 Sargodha 133 300 433
20 Bhakkar 161 86
21 Khushab 107 133 247
22 Mianwali 52 96 240
23 Multan 597 541 148
24 Vehari 120 100 1138
25 Sahiwal 151 177 220
26 Pakpattan 175 104 328
27 Lodhran 58 244 279
28 Khanewal 231 213 302
29 Bahawalpur 224 230 444
30 Bahawalnagar 231 139 454
31 R.Y.Khan 553 258 811
32 D.G.Khan 372 336 708
33 Layyh 72 86 158
34 Muzaffargar 530 363 893
35 Rajanpur 19 114 133
Source: Ministry of Religious Affairs, Lahore
Annex 2
Dars e Nizami Syllabus for Girls-Eight Year Program

Source: Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia

Dars e Nizami Syllabus for Boys-Twelve Year Program

Source: Wafaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia

Endnotes
i
Researcher’s interviews with Director and Section Officer of Ministry of Religious Affairs,
Lahore
ii
Researcher’s interview with Additional Secretary(General), Department of Education (Schools),
Lahore
iii
http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_PAK.html
iv
National Policy 2009
v
http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapter_10/10_Education.pdf, p 149
vi
Economic Survey of Pakistan, 2009-10
vii
Seventy-one public varsities’ VCs threaten to resign, 17 Sep, 2010 / DAWN
viii
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/16-
education-vision-2015-hs-10
ix
http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/GMR/pdf/gmr2010/gmr2010-annex-
01-edi.pdf
x
National Education Policy 2009, p 6
xi
National Education Policy 2009, p 4
xii
National Education Policy 2009
xiii
National Education Policy 2009
xiv
Ahmad, Mumtaz, Madrassa Education in Pakistan and Bangladesh, p 101-115
xv
http://www.mora.gov.pk/, on 15 September 2010
xvi
Pakistan Education Statistics 2007-08
xvii
Pakistan Education Statistics 2007-2008, table 0.8
xviii
http://www.dawn.com/2002/01/12/speech020112.htm.
xix
Ministry of Education, Islamabad
xx
Ahmad, Mumtaz, Madrasa Reforms and Perspectives: Islamic Tertiary Education in Pakistan
xxi
Habib, Nasira, Understanding School Councils: Situation Analysis of School Councils in Five Districts
of Punjab, Khoj in collaboration with ActionAid Pakistan
xxii
Ahmad, Mumtaz, Madrasa Education in Pakistan and Bangladesh p 111