Bengal begins review of all state madrasas, seeks reports by July 5

KOLKATA: The Suvendu Adhikari-led Bengal govt has started a review of all madrasas in the state and dire- cted DMs to send compre-hensive repo- rts on institutions in their respective districts to state secretariat Nabanna by July 5.

The West Bengal Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department issued a notification, saying the review was a "routine administrative exercise". The survey order, however, is the first by Bengal's first BJP govt.

In Jan 2002, then-CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had announced a govt plan to monitor, register or close unrecognised Khariji madrasas operating along the India-Bangladesh border. However, Bhattacharjee had to retract the proposal within days following backlash from religious organisations and due to objections from Left Fron't coalition partners.

Officially, the Bengal govt funds and regulates two types of madrasas: 614 aided and 601 unaided. Apart from these, there are 14 English-medium govt-aided madrasas. Around 5.5 lakh to 6 lakh students study at these recognised institutions.

However, there is another category of these institutions run and maintained by individuals, communities or private organisations, which are known as Maktab or Khariji madrasas. Functioning as charitable boarding schools that provide free education, food and lodging to impoverished students, these madrasas are found across Bengal, with heavy concentration in Murshidabad, Malda, North Dinajpur, South 24 Parganas and Birbhum.

While there is no official count for these institutions, their numbers are estimated to be well over 1,000.

The DMs have been asked to provide relevant operational details, including the foundation date of each madrasa, its registration status with the madrasah education department, and specific registration data. The reports must also detail student enrolment figures and the strength of the teaching and non-teaching staff.

The DMs will also have to specify whether a madrasa is residential or privately aided, and outline the exact curriculum offered there. The order said the accumulation of this information is necessary to draft future educational plans and welfare steps for students.

The madrasa education system in Bengal grew and flourished after the foundation of the Calcutta Madrasah in 1780 by the British East India Company. Bengal was also the first state in India to pass the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education Act, 1994, granting these institutions academic, administrative and financial powers, as well as statutory status equivalent to a state education board.

In Jan 2002, former CM Bhattacharjee's announcement followed an armed attack outside the American Center in Kolkata. He had said that these unmonitored institutions received funding from external sources and engaged in activities that threatened state security. The announcement produced an immediate backlash from organisations, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. The Forward Bloc, RSP, and CPI also objected to the move.