Kamal: Dawra recognition was a commitment of PM

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Saturday said it was a long-standing promise of the prime minister to recognise Qawmi madrasa’s Dawra-e-Hadith degree as post-graduation. “The premier had formed a committee with Hefazat-e Islam chief Shah Ahmed Shafi as its head several years ago,” Kamal said while talking to reporters after attending a programme in Savar. Afterwards, Shafi and others from the existing Qawmi madarsa education boards reached a consensus and met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leading to the official recognition to the degree, he added. “There is little scope to make the government move questionable. BNP’s allegation in this regard is baseless. Even India gave recognition to its Qawmi madrasas,” he continued, adding, BNP has no ground to wage any movement on the issue. According to the minister, the recognition was a long-standing demand of Islamic scholars, in which Hefazat has no link. “The degree is given the recognition aiming to fulfill the demand of Qawmi madrasa students,” he said. The government on April 13 issued a circular declaring the degree equivalent to a Master’s degree in Islamic Studies or Arabic, just two days after the PM’s decision to acknowledge so in a meeting with Qawmi madrasa teacher leaders and Hefazat leaders. Since then, civil society and prominent educationists have been criticising the government decision. Even, Islamist group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat on April 15 urged the government to cancel its decision. Hefazat, a Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist hardliner pressure group that has been eyeing Shariah Law in Bangladesh, is engaged in a number of controversial issues.