M Naushad Ansari
Posted November 15, 2000
As per the census report of 1991, Muslims in Bihar constitute around 15 per cent of the state population and 20 per cent of the total population of Muslims in India. They are a creative community with a glorious tradition and valuable contribution in all walks of life. They produced great personalities viz., rulers like Sher Shah Suri, sufis like Hazrat Charamposh and Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri, visionaries like Minnatullah Rahmani and Maulana Sajjad, scholars like Syed Sulaiman Nadvi and Qazi Mujahidul Islam, women social workers like Bibi Sughra Khatoon and Haji Begum, historians like Hasan Askari, jurists like Ali Imam , freedom fighters like Mazharul Haq and Sheikh Bhikari, educationists like Moinul Haq, social worker like Dr. Syed Mehmood and Prof. Suhail Ahmed Khan, doctors like Abdul Hai and lady Hakim Ayesha Begum and administrators like Shahabuddin. Today, however, they are educationally and economically most backward. (Refer table-2. Muslims attitude is anti-education; dogmatic believes and unscientific approaches are continuing. There is steady decline in proportions of Muslim students in admission in higher studies, even in institution run by the community. The backwardness of Muslim women in education is obviously very low. (Refer Table 2 and 3)
As per Gopal Singh panel report, in 1981, only 6.33 per cent of Muslim students of Bihar appeared in Secondary School Examination against their population of 13.48 per cent. To study the educational standard at graduation level the panel studied results of Bhagalpur, Patna and Ranchi universities. They found that in these three universities 12.69 per cent of Muslim students appeared in the exam out of which only 13.20 per cent of students passed it. In the Medical Entrance Test 6.18 per cent of Muslim students appeared out of which only 7.27 per cent could get selection. For admission in the Engineering Colleges 5.80 per cent of Muslims students appeared out of which only 5.78 per cent were successful.
It is strong paradox that Islam places great emphasis on the education, Muslim remains most backward in this field. The rise of Islam marked the most vigorous intellectual activity in this world, and for more than four hundred years from 8th to 13th century the Muslims led the world in the field of science, Medicine, Mathematics, Commerce and industry, yet the inheritors of Islam have been reached to condition of ignorance, illiteracy and backwardness
Realizing that education is the only road to development, in last two decades, a considerable number of Muslim educational institutions have been established throughout the state. Today there are 208 Muslim managed government recognized High Schools, 12 colleges, 2 Teachers Training colleges, 4 Teachers Training Schools, one Polytechnic school. Muslims have one Medical and one Engineering College. Both are yet to be recognized. But it is pity that what we have achieved through establishing these institutions is only marginal. The predominant majority of the students in these institutions come from non-Muslims. (Refer Table-1).
The purpose of this study is to critically
probe into the reasons for Muslims continued educational backwardness,
to gauge the future needs, to suggest some solutions to the problem and
to invite some change in our educational planning. So that our institutions
deliver the desired object of benefiting the community. For sample study
of this backwardness I have chosen two colleges and one school managed
by Muslims.
.
TABLE --- 1
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Institutions
Total Number of
Numbers of
Percentage of
Students in 1992
Muslim students
Muslims
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Mohammadan AA
330
125
37.88%
School,Patna
(Class-5,7 &10)
Mirza Ghalib College,
2620
559
21.34%
Gaya (Inter&Graduation)
Z.A Islamia
3410
1210
35.48%
College, Siwan
(Inter&Graduation)
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Reasons:
Social Factors : A majority of Muslim population
is callous towards education for it is a wide spread feeling that education
makes their men and women insolent, and anti-religion. The education and
knowledge in Islam is not divided into religious and secular. But it is
wrongly believed that the duty of acquiring education is limited to basic
religious education. The 'Purdah' (Hijab) for women is wrongly interpreted
by making the women confined to the four-walls of house, thus discouraging
basic or higher education. A simple question is that if we don't have lady
doctors, where should our sick women go for treatment?
TABLE - 2
(ALL INDIA)
Percentage of persons attending educational institution by age --Group
and
Household religion for each sex in India, 1990.
Household
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Religion
0--4
5--9
10--14
15--19
20--24
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Male Hindu
5.7
64.9
75
46.9
14.7
Muslim
3.1
49
60
30.9
9.1
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Female Hindu
5
55.6
58
27.4
5.6
Muslim
2.4
42.4
45.3
14
2.7
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Total Hindu
5.3
60.2
66.5
37.1
10.1
Muslim
2.7
45.7
52.6
22.4
5.9
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(Source: ‘Sarvekshana’, September, 1990)
Economic Factors : Most of the population lives in abject poverty under substance economy. It is not easy for many to send their children to school thus losing their wealthy hand in their struggle for survival. Education, therefore, is treated as a luxury, which they can hardly afford. School going children in such a family is an economic unit and contributes to the family income. According to the present system of education any economic benefit a child can bring to his family will be only after fifteen or twenty years of education. The parents have neither patience nor the foresight to wait for such a long period. De-schooling among Muslim boys' effects sharply after middle school. Due to this reason, Boys run to learn any job at this age.
Poor Education: There are a few exceptions but more often we find that the knowledge of the students coming out from Muslim institutions, especially Madarsa, is very much restricted to the domain of religion with a very little knowledge of practical sciences. Consequently they end up contributing very little to the society. In some Muslim schools compulsory Urdu medium hamper the further education of our children as at some stage our children need to break the medium and switch over to English or Hindi.
*Table -- 3
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Institutions
Classes
Total number of
Number of
percentage of Mu-
Muslim students
Muslim girls
slim girls among
Muslims
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Mirza Ghalib Intermediate
340
6
1.7
College, Gaya Graduation
219
10
4.5
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ZA Islamic
Intermediate
565
24
4.2
College, Siwan Graduation
634
38
6
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*Many Muslim girls secure admission in women's
college where the percentage of Muslim girls may be slightly higher.
**Number of girls is based on the proportion
of girls in this college.
Mismanagement : In most of the Muslim educational institutions there is too much of politics and groupism, confliction between management and teachers and frictions within management itself. Thus attention on the standard of education is hardly paid.
Absenteeism and Drop-outs : The problem of absenteeism is a serious one in Muslim institutions. One sees a large number of students on rolls but the actual attendance is very- very low. The number of students passing out at the final exams is even lower.
The drop-out percentage among Muslim students at school level is very high (?refer Table-4)
TABLE----- 4
(Mohammedan Anglo-Arabic School, Patna City, 1992)
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Classes
Total Number of
Total Number of
Percentage of Mus-
Students
students
lim students
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V
65
45
69 %
VII
160
100
62.5%
X
135
70
51.8%
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Primary and Secondary Education : Primary stage of education is the main deficit area where Muslim students are under-represented and later drop-out reduce the share still further. Due to which very less Muslim student reach up to higher education and consequently the seats in Muslim run Colleges and institutions is filled by non-Muslim students.
Solutions
All these are very serious matters and have to do with the structure of thinking of the Muslim community about the importance of education. A new resilience in respect of education of the Muslims is now in evidence in southern India where Muslim educational organisations are showing a new dynamism. In other parts of India also a scientific temper has to be developed vastly to improve our education standard. These are some steps, which should be adopted.
Social awareness : It was Islam, which stressed the importance of education at a time when the entire world was lost in ignorance and darkness. Islam makes the acquisition of education for each and every person, male and female, obligatory in order to benefit them and to enrich human culture and civilisation. But it is sad that today this community is the most illiterate and un-educated. A success in educating people depends on the human factors, on the literate Muslims and their voluntary participation. It needs social mobilisation. Efforts need to be directed at enrolment of all Muslim children into primary schools. Social workers should pursue the parents to send their children to schools. Every educated Muslim must educate at least ten persons. Muslim intelligentsia should organise committees for education. Every educated Muslim should associate himself with an education committee of his choice and should dedicate at least one hour every week for this work.
Management : It is a duty of sponsoring bodies\organisations of our institution to appoint full-trained management specialists to manage our institutions efficiently. What is happening today is that members who can spare little or no time at all for the institutions manage our institutions. Our institutions should be run on professional lines with greater accountability to the community. It should be kept in mind that it is the community's money, which is involved not only in establishing the institutions but also in running it. Any types of politics and groupism must be kept away from the management. The management per se should not be headed by politicians, who have their own agenda of projecting themselves or their political image at the cost of the institution. The teachers employed for imparting education must be well trained and dedicated to the upliftment of Muslims.
Resources : The community should not go in for haphazard establishment of additional educational institutions merely to bring education to the doorstep of the community. Having established so many institutions already, the attempt now should be to improve their quality. This is only possible if there is corresponding improvement in the serious commitment of the management to ensure better standards in human resource, teaching methodology, basic facilities, and fostering interest among students for learning.
On the question of resources the property of waqfs and trusts would have to be geared increasingly to educational technological skill formation. If waqfs are to survive, it would have to work with understanding the major requirements of the community in the context of modern times. Indeed the objective of the waqfs is attained only when the property is put to use and the assets gainfully employed so that the waqfs will be in a position to undertake and maintain its pious religious and charitable activities The laws of Waqfs may be suitably changed. Waqfs may establish Education Foundation to channelise the waqfs income for the education. A good number of scholarships can be provided for poor students. It may arrange an extensive coaching for Muslim students in different centres in order to make the boys able to face competitions.
There is also a need to bring social awareness to spend money for productive purpose in education and to cut down wasteful expenditures, like those on marriages, functions, litigation, lavish fooding etc. The Biharis, residing in other parts of the country or abroad, should be mobilized to contribute for the betterment of Bihari Muslims residing in Bihar.
Female Education : It is said that educating
a man means educating a person and educating a woman means educating the
whole family. The search of knowledge is incumbent on male and female
equally. At early medieval time of Muslim world we find a sizeable
number of Muslim women religious scholars, writers, doctors, poets and
teachers. Islam wants that the women-folk should develop their faculties.
The progress of the community hinges on education of women. Wherever
women are educated and literate, a bright future is assured. For
this Unisex schools and colleges are required to be set up to retain girls
in the institutions.
Relevant Syllabus : In Muslim institutions scientific temper has to be developed vastly; syllabi and the courses have to be re-ordered to reach a world class and making it socially relevant. The irrelevant extra circular activities like Mushaira, Bait-bazi, Urdu Conference etc. must be made limited and besides these the school should provide sports and game facilities. It should organise tours, excursions, debates, discussion, general knowledge contests etc. The curriculum of Madarsa should be modernised in order to reach a world class. Besides usual content of theology, ancient wisdom etc. the element of science, technology and purposeful skills should be included. An example of such curriculum is Madarsa Jamiatul Hidaya of Jaipur where besides theology the training is given in the fields of computer, journalism, IIT trades, marketing, natural science etc. In Urdu schools while teaching Urdu as a subject, the medium of education should be adopted as English or Hindi. It is also needed that our institution should provide a job-oriented education so those students, attaining gown-up age, may overtime work parallel to continuing education.
Investment at Lower level : The infrastructure needs to be deployed at primary and secondary level as it feeds the institution of higher and professional education.
Dropout : It is a very important duty of our social workers and institutions to keep a check on the dropout rate, especially in rural areas. The parents are required to be briefed about the benefits of education and the needy students should be provided scholarships so that the poor parents continue to send their kids to the schools. Muslim social workers, at all levels, should ensure enrolment of Muslim children into primary schools.
Careeer Guidance Cell : At every institution a career guidance cell should be established which should be able to find out the aptitude of the students and advise them useful careers. The cell should prepare the students for top professions in medicine, engineering, agriculture, industry etc., and jobs like handling management NDA, CDS, Civil Services Chartered Account, etc.