G.S. -PAPER-I-IAS MAINS-Plea seeks education regulation in religious schools

Context:

The Delhi High Court has sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking directions to it to regulate the education being imparted in the madrasas, maktabahs and gurukuls in the country.

Issue:

• In India, there are more than 30,000 maktabahs and madrasas and approximately 2,000 gurukuls.
• Such maktabahs, madrasas and gurukuls are acting as primary source of education to more than 15 lakh young individuals in the country.
• But there exists a lacuna in the prevailing regulatory framework governing these institutes.
• The students educated in such institutes are generally not well-equipped for jobs in comparison to students educated in private and governmental schools which violates their right under Article 21A of Right to Education.
• This also severely impacts the job prospects of the students studying at these religious schools.

Details:

• The petition filed jointly by a Right to Information (RTI) activist and Congress MLA from West Bengal, has sought to establish uniform standards of proficiency and excellence with respect to education being imparted in all madrasas, maktabahs and gurukuls.
• The plea said that the young students are being educated at such institutes without any comprehensive and holistic framework, devoid of any standards of excellence.
• It pointed out that there is no clarity with respect to the recognition and status of the certificates issued by such institutes or their respective boards in respect of admission in universities and eligibility for appearing in various competitive exams such as the Civil Services, Banks, Defence Services and other such examinations.
• In a diverse country like India, the education imparted in such institutes would lead to the students having a parochial outlook devoid of scientific temper and lacking fraternity and brotherhood, petition further added.
• Additionally, State governments have taken different stands in respect to the certificates issued by their respective State madrasas boards thereby, creating confusion amongst students and jeopardising their future.
• The bench asked for response of the Ministries of Human Resource Development and Minority Affairs on the petition filed in public interest.

Q : How can the religious eductional insitutes be added to the main stream  of education ? -125 Words 

Courtesy 

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