The degree certificate issued by Qawmi madrasas should not be considered equal to a master's qualification unless its curriculum is modernized in line with mainstream education, a group of four leading academics has said.
The noted academics were responding to the passing by parliament on September 19 of a bill which recognizes the “Dawrae Hadith” (Kamil) certificate as a postgraduate degree of Islamic Studies and Arabic.
"I think the standard of education of Qawmi madrasas and mainstream educational institutions is not equal,” National Professor Anisuzzaman told UNB.
“The standard of Qawmi madrasa education needs to be upgraded to match that of a modern education as a precursor to this recognition.”
Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said the new law makes no practical sense as Qawmi and general education are two different systems with contrasting syllabi and teaching styles.
"Recognizing a Dawrae Hadith certificate as equivalent to a master's degree will only create confusion instead of bringing anything good for the county and people," he said.
According to the bill, those who have acquired Dawrae Hadith degrees since April 2017 will be considered master's degree holders.
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Prof Serajul said: “The Qawmi madrasa students will not benefit from receiving such certificates, due to the poor standard of their education. If you give medical students the certificate of engineering how will they benefit from it?
“Qawmi madrasa curricula are outdated as they do not focus on mother language, history, culture, and science.”
‘Urgent reform needed’
The academics said that an education commission comprised of Islamic scholars and academics must be urgently formed to modernize the Qawmi system by adopting a holistic approach combining science, English, and Arabic education.
"The government should now immediately constitute a commission, comprising experts from both Qawmi and general education, to streamline Qawmi madrasa education by reforming and modernizing its syllabuses,” Prof Abul Barkat, of Dhaka University's Economics department, said.
“The Qawmi madrasa education system should be integrated with the mainstream education through a massive overhaul of their syllabi and teaching methods.”
Prof Barkat, who is also the author of “Political Economy of Madrasa Education in Bangladesh”, said Qawmi madrasa degrees are not comparable to mainstream ones as their curricula emphasizes religion over science.
He also said it was not clear how the government can recognize the top class Qawmi certificate without also recognizing its other levels as equivalent to Junior School Certificate (JSC), Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), or Degree.
"I also cannot understand what benefits the students will get with their master's certificates since their education does not match that of a general education," he said.
"Around 75% of madrasa students remain unemployed as they have no opportunities to engage in jobs based on their education and skills."
UNB reports that under the plans, a board named Al-Haiyatul Ulia Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh will be formed to integrate the country’s six existing Qawmi madrasa education boards.
It will prepare syllabi and question papers, conduct examinations, and award certificates for Qawmi madrasa students.
Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University's History department said the reforms should begin from the entry level to the top class of the Qawmi madrasas.
"Without modernizing the Qawmi madrasa education system, and improving its standard, what is the point of giving such certificates?” he said.
“Neither the students nor the county will benefit from it.”
