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Government will stop funding seminaries
By Irfan Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to stop funding seminaries because of their lack of transparency in spending, sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.
Sources said the federal government had not been getting reports from provincial governments on how the funds given to them for the Madarassa Reforms Project were being spent.
“The federal government gave provincial governments Rs 495 million to distribute among registered madarasas, but utilisation reports were not provided because of which further disbursement was stopped,” sources quoted an Education Ministry document as saying.
The government has failed to implement the Rs 5.1 billion Madrasa Reforms Project over the last five years because of differences between the education, religious affairs and interior ministries over handling madarassas.
The Religious Affairs Ministry opposed the Prime Minister Secretariat’s decision to form a Madarassa Reforms Board under the chairmanship of Federal Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi to restructure religious seminaries.
The government succumbed to pressure from madarassa representatives and handed the project to Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq - replacing Ashraf Qazi. However, funding for the project comes from the Education Ministry.
A ministry official told Daily Times that provincial home departments had delayed verifying the particulars of seminaries.
Around Rs 1 billion earmarked for madarassa reforms lapsed last year because of lack of coordination between the federal and provincial governments.
A recent survey showed there were over 15,000 seminaries in the country, and their number was increasing in Balochistan and the NWFP.
The issue has already been debated in the Senate’s standing committee on education and the Education Ministry had complained that utilisation reports were not being provided.
The committee directed the ministry to get feedback about the funds disbursed.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...4-5-2006_pg1_6
Government will stop funding seminaries
By Irfan Ghauri
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to stop funding seminaries because of their lack of transparency in spending, sources told Daily Times on Wednesday.
Sources said the federal government had not been getting reports from provincial governments on how the funds given to them for the Madarassa Reforms Project were being spent.
“The federal government gave provincial governments Rs 495 million to distribute among registered madarasas, but utilisation reports were not provided because of which further disbursement was stopped,” sources quoted an Education Ministry document as saying.
The government has failed to implement the Rs 5.1 billion Madrasa Reforms Project over the last five years because of differences between the education, religious affairs and interior ministries over handling madarassas.
The Religious Affairs Ministry opposed the Prime Minister Secretariat’s decision to form a Madarassa Reforms Board under the chairmanship of Federal Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi to restructure religious seminaries.
The government succumbed to pressure from madarassa representatives and handed the project to Religious Affairs Minister Ijazul Haq - replacing Ashraf Qazi. However, funding for the project comes from the Education Ministry.
A ministry official told Daily Times that provincial home departments had delayed verifying the particulars of seminaries.
Around Rs 1 billion earmarked for madarassa reforms lapsed last year because of lack of coordination between the federal and provincial governments.
A recent survey showed there were over 15,000 seminaries in the country, and their number was increasing in Balochistan and the NWFP.
The issue has already been debated in the Senate’s standing committee on education and the Education Ministry had complained that utilisation reports were not being provided.
The committee directed the ministry to get feedback about the funds disbursed.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...4-5-2006_pg1_6
This charade has been going on for long.
Mushrraf has regularly been stating in uncertain terms of his intentions, but it appears that these regular incantations were basically to appease the US and calm their nerves. Even posters here were gleefull and pleased as Punch that Musharraf has finally cracked the kernel and that the madrassas would roll over and play dead.
No power on Earth can close or control the Madrassas, let alone a military propped government. That is the Gospel truth as I have repeated stated.
Madrassa, while they give some semblance of education to the poverty stricken and at least teach, even if by rote, religious scriptures as education, at least some education, even if be it religious, is being imparted. But there are madrassas that go beyond the parameters of religious imapartation and those madrassas are a danger not only to the world, but to Pakistan itself!
That these madrassa are dangerous and vile is borne out by the fact that the iincrease in madrassa have been observed in Balochistan and NWFP, the areas where Pakistan's innards are being eaten viciously and slowly.
The fact that the madrassas are not ready to be transparent vindicates the belief that they are the workshop that is churning out the evil that is tormenting the world and giving Islam a poor image.
Pakistan and the world must get their act together and stamp out this evil factory and let only the real madrassa function.
Madrassa must be transparent and accountable. And the Saudis pressured since they are behind this nefarious game, while Pakistan takes the rap!
But then is it feasible?
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