18-member panel to review ongoing survey identifying illegal, unrecognised madrasas in Bengal

Kolkata, July 12 (IANS) West Bengal Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department has constituted an 18-member committee to review the ongoing survey to identify illegally run unrecognised madrasas, often termed as ‘Khariji Madrasahs’, in 12 districts of the state.

The review committee will start visiting the districts from July 15 and thereafter submit a detailed report to the state Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education department by July 21.

Based on the review committee’s recommendation, the department will take further action, said an official from the state secretariat of Nabanna. The 12 districts where such review exercises will be conducted are Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, Malda, Murshidabad, Birbhum, West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

To recall, in the first week of June, a notification was issued on this count, directing the District Magistrates (DMs) to send comprehensive reports on madrasas in their respective districts to the state secretariat of Nabanna by July 5.

Now, with the preliminary report from the DMs already available, state government insiders said that 12 districts have been identified which need a second round of survey in view of the high number of such unrecognised madrasas.

Hence, the decision to conduct another round of review of the state of affairs in the madrasa education system in these 12 districts has been taken before the state government takes the final administrative decision on them.

In the earlier notification issued last month, the DMs were asked to provide relevant details of the madrasas in their respective districts, like the day of foundation of the madrasa concerned; whether they are registered with the state Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department or not; details of their registration; details of the students studying there and the teaching and non-teaching staff attached to them, whether these madrasas were residential or not and finally on the curriculum offered there.

Before that, in May this year, immediately after taking charge as the new Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education minister in the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled West Bengal government, Khudiram Tudu announced that the state administration would crack down on madrasas operating illegally.

He also said that once identified, such illegally run madrasas will be closed down, and those involved in such illegal activities in the name of madrasas will also be punished.

“In future too, the state administration will remain cautious to ensure that illegal madrasas do not surface anywhere,” Tudu said then.

–IANS

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