Around 11500 Seminaries Registered With Federal Education Ministry So Far

ISLAMABAD, Jun 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Jun, 2022 ) :As many as 11500 Seminaries (Madrassa's) have been registered so far with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in order to bring them in mainstream education system.

The official sources from Directorate General of Religious Affairs told APP that efforts were underway to bring all (35000) Madrassa's across the country under the Ministry of Federal Education. Under the initiative, the Madrassa students would provide career opportunities in all national institutions including civil and armed forces.

The sources said that the new curriculum will bring major reforms in 'Madrassa Schooling System' as it was being prepared according to the international standard and meet all modern global needs. They said the seminaries played a key role in providing education to the deprived segment of the society.

To bring interfaith harmony in the country; the non-Muslim students were being taught their religion in schools. Earlier, they were only being taught the subject of ethics compared to Muslim students who were being studied Islamic Studies, they added. As per agreement with government, sources said, all Madrassa's were bound to register themselves with the education ministry as no seminary would be allowed to function without registration.

The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has established country-wide 12 Registration Centres for registering seminaries. These centres were being controlled by the "Directorate General of Religious Education established in Islamabad.

Regional directorates have also been established at Karachi, Sukkur, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Loralai, Peshawar, Kohat, Muzaffarabad and Gilgit", the sources told APP.

All seminaries, were required to open their accounts in scheduled banks and make transactions through banks. Religious seminaries would be required to impart new curriculum provided by National Curriculum Council from class 1 to 5 students of their respective institutes.

They said the government deployed two to three teachers in each registered seminary for imparting English, urdu, Mathematics and Science education, adding; registered seminaries would be allowed to enroll foreign students.

The sources informed that the seminaries had, in principle, agreed with the federal government initiative for bringing their students in the mainstream in order to ensure a uniform education system in the country.

After holding several meetings regarding religious seminaries with Wafaq-ul-Madaris, the registered Madrassa students were appearing in the middle, Matric and intermediate examinations of all educational boards like the students of other schools. The passed students of Madrassa would be awarded the degrees of matric and intermediate, he added. After intermediate, these students would be eligible to join civil, security and other services, they said.

On the demand of Madrassas, the government had provided them the period of four to five years for completely implementing new educational policy, the sources said, adding that the government would provide all out support including financial and teaching to Madrassas after registration.

They assured that the standard of the new national curriculum would be set as per international level. The new curriculum would be included the ethical subjects for the characterization of the students so that they could be a good citizen.

The Madrassas were also being linked with the technical and vocational institutes aimed at providing skills education to their students, the sources said. The aim of this step was to improve the quality and standard of Madrassas education.

To a question, official said, the Madrassas would be bound to teach compulsory subjects of matriculation and intermediate to their students.

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