Never asked for closing down madrasas, says child rights body chief

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Priyank Kanoongo has clarified that he had not called for the closing down of madrasas but only suggested stopping the state funding they receive as the institutions were allegedly depriving poorer Muslim children of education, PTI reported on Wednesday.

Kanoongo, calling for equal educational opportunities, claimed that Muslim children from poorer backgrounds are often pressured into religious schooling instead of receiving a secular education.

“Our stance is that while affluent families invest in religious and regular education, even children from impoverished backgrounds should be imparted that,” Kanoongo was quoted as saying. “Why do we constrain our poorest Muslim children to attend madrasas instead of schools? This policy shifts the burden unfairly onto them.”

The chairperson of the child rights body said that it is the government’s duty to ensure that children receive standard education. “The state cannot turn a blind eye to its obligations,” he added.

Kanoongo had on October 11 written to the states and Union territories asking them to stop funding madrasas. All children studying in madrasas should be enrolled in schools recognised under the 2009 Right to Education Act, he had said.

The recommendations in Kanoongo’s letter are based on a report prepared by the commission to assess the alleged role of madrasas in violating children’s right to education.

Kanoongo said that some groups feared the empowerment of the Muslim community.

“There exists a faction in our nation that dreads the empowerment of Muslims,” he was quoted as saying. “Their fear stems from the anticipation that empowered communities will demand accountability and equal rights.”

The fear was the main reason preventing inclusive educational reforms, Kanoongo said. This had resulted in a significant underrepresentation of Muslim students in higher education, he added.

The participation rates among other marginalised communities in higher education are higher, Kanoongo said.

The Scheduled Castes constitute 13% to 14% of the students in higher education, the Scheduled Tribes more than 5%. While the Other Backward Classes account for 37%, the representation of Muslims in higher education was 5%, he added.

Kanoongo said that madrasas should be integrated into regular schools.

“We have recommended mapping unmapped madrassas and enrolling children into schools,” he said. “While some states like Kerala have resisted, others like Gujarat have taken proactive steps. In Gujarat alone, over 50,000 children have been enrolled in schools despite facing violent opposition.”