Govt moves to set up separate directorate
The government has taken initiatives to modernise the madrasa education system so that its students can get modern education apart from religious studies, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said yesterday.
"We want the madrasa students to become learned Alems (Islamic scholars) and study science and technology so that they can also hold prestigious position in the society," he said.
Referring to the steps taken for the development of madrasa education, Nahid said the government decided to set up a separate directorate for madrasa education and increase its facilities and a process to set up the directorate is on.
The minister was speaking at a meeting with the representatives of Bangladesh Jamiatul Mudarresin, an organisation of madrasa teachers, on the development of the madrasa education.
The government distributed free textbooks to madrasa students for the first time and took initiative to improve the standard of its teachers' training institute, he said adding that the process of establishing an Arabic University is also on.
Nahid said they tried to accommodate opinions of the religious groups in the National Education Policy.
"Despite all these things, a certain quarter has been spreading confusion about the madrasa education and running a smear campaign against it," he said.
At the meeting, the representatives of Jamiatul Mudarresin placed some demands including increase of salary for the teachers of ibtedai (primary level) madrasas, relax the provision of women quota for the appointment of madrasa teachers, initiate training of the madrasa teachers and provide stipends to the madrasa students.
The minister assured them of meeting their demands in phases as the government is giving importance to madrasa education.
Meantime, talking to the reporters, Nahid cleared the government's stand on the National University (NU) saying that the government wants to reform and restructure the university to make it an effective institution.
Additional Secretary SM Golam Faruk, Prof Noman-ur-Rashid, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, AMM Bahauddin, editor of Inqilab and president of Jamiatul Mudarresin, among others, spoke on the occasion.
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