IMPHAL, November 10: A one day workshop cum interaction programme was held at the Kashimpur Madrassa, Jiribam on November 9 as part of the Manipur State Minorities Commission’s two day visit to the sub division.
During the two day visit the Manipur State Minorities Commission had been reviewing the status of implementation of the various welfare schemes implemented by the MOBC &SC Department by visiting various schools and Madrassa’s in the Jiribam Sub Division. Today’s programme was attended by the ZEO Jiribam Subdivision, Th Ketuki Devi, BDO of Jiribam Ch Sonamani Singh and Commission Secretary Dr M R Sheikh attended the workshop as resource persons and Moulana Tamijur presided the session.
Meanwhile, the Jiribam Higher Secondary Principal when asked about how many students of the school have benefited by the pre and post matric scholarship schemes implemented under the MOBC and SC and about how many of them are applying for this year’s scheme, he said, “But, as far as my knowledge is concerned, our students did not enjoy any of the benefits because, we never applied for the same, and we even, never thought of the place from where we should collect the forms and to where should it be submitted”.
According to a press release of the Manipur State Minorities Commission Secretary, “The Commission felt disappointment when the students of Jiribam Higher Secondary School which has strength of more than 600 students including about 300 OBC students, 200 Minority Christian Students and 150 Minority Muslim Students have not been awarded the benefits of the Pre and Post Matric Scholarship Schemes though advertisements are made in the local news papers”.
“The Commission also visited Madrasssa’s in the Sub Division which are included in the Madrassa Modernisation Scheme implemented by the Wakf Board, Manipur.”
Highlighting the various welfare schemes meant for the Minorities, MSMC secretary Dr Sheikh said that Jiribam is inhabited dominantly by Minority and OBC Communities and special attention is being given by the State Government for the uplift of the Minorities in Jiribam, it said.
Further according to the release, the secretary also emphasized on the need for providing quality education in Madrassa’s for which the Governing Councils of the Madrassa’s need to apply for the Centre Sponsored Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrassa’s (SPQEM) which is being implemented by the Central Government through State Education Department.
“The ZEO Ketuki Devi highlighted the scheme for health and sanitation facilities for the school girls and women empowerment. She also distributed the guidelines and the application formats for the schemes.”
Mentioning the importance of providing proper education to the girls, she said that girls belonging to the Muslim Community are sometimes deprived of their rights to education. This is not really encouraging. The negligence of today’s girls shall lead to the negligence of tomorrow’s children because it is the girls who shall become mothers and shall directly involve in their children’s education”, the statement quoted the ZEO.
Interacting with the participating delegates in the interaction programme, Dr. Sheikh reiterated that a rather animated debate is on among different sections of the Muslims as also among the civil and the uncivil society in India about the Madrassa, their importance, the role they play and the need to make them more modern, thereby converting them into institutes that are more relevant to the contemporary requirements of both the Muslims and the market.
The Madrassa was not traditionally a place that only imparted religious education.
“Attended by the local guardians, youths and religious leaders, the workshop mostly focused on the opportunities and challenges of the Muslims in implementation of the Madrassa Modernisation Schemes and health & Sanitation facilities for the adolescent girls.