The Dismal State of Muslim Education in India

By Moin Qazi, New Age Islam 9 October 2023 Despite very few bright spots, the state of Muslim education in India is dismal. Of all India's religious communities, Muslims have the highest illiteracy rate (42.7%), the lowest share of people in work (33%), and the lowest level of enrolment in higher education (4.4%) – even though they comprise 14% of India's The education system in India is diverse, with various religions, cultures, and languages, but it is not always equitable. Muslims, India's most significant religious minority, have long struggled for educational opportunities. Muslim education in India has a long, rich history that dates back to the medieval period. Muslims were among the first to establish formal educational institutions in India, such as madrasas and schools of Islamic learning. One of the earliest madrasas in India was the Madrasa-e-Nizamia in Hyderabad, founded in 1876. It offered courses in Islamic law, theology, and other subjects, and it became a model for other madrasas throughout India. During the British colonial period, Muslim education in India faced many challenges, including a lack of resources and limited access to formal education. However, Muslim leaders like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan played a significant role in promoting education among Muslims. In 1875, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which later became Aligarh Muslim University. The university aimed to provide modern education to Muslims and promote their social and economic advancement. Today, Aligarh Muslim University is one of India's most prestigious educational institutions, offering various courses in various disciplines. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: How Madrasas Obliterate Muslim Educational Futures --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Basic Education The AISHE Survey 2020-21 presents a dismal picture of the community. At a time when the enrolment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in higher education improved by 4.2%, 11.9% and 4%, respectively, compared with 2019-20, the Muslim community's enrolment declined by 8%, numbering around 1,79,000 students. This unprecedented decline points to the relative economic impoverishment of the community, which forces its talented students to pursue earning opportunities after completing schooling rather than enrolling in higher education, beginning at the graduation level. The survey presents a bright picture of the OBC community, which accounts for 36% of the country's total enrolment in higher education. The SCs bring up another 14%. The two communities cover nearly 50% of the seats in universities and colleges. Higher Education Muslims also face several challenges in pursuing higher education in India. The representation of Muslims in higher education is relatively low, with only 4.9 per cent of students enrolled in universities. The under-representation of Muslims in higher education may be because of factors like lack of access to quality education and financial constraints. The poor entry-level presence of Muslims in pursuing higher education is mirrored by the equally bleak presence of Muslim teachers in higher education institutions. At an all-India level, teachers in the General Category account for 56% of all teachers. OBC, SC and ST teachers comprise another 32%, 9% and 2.5% of the teachers, respectively. Muslims constitute only about 5.6% of the teachers. Regarding gender, there are 75 female teachers and 100 male teachers. Female OBC, SC and ST teachers are doing better here than their Muslim counterparts. At the same time, 71% of female OBC teachers, 75% of female ST teachers, and only 59 female Muslim teachers for every 100 male Muslim teachers. Interestingly, Muslims and other minorities have more female students than male students, pointing to a gradual uplift of the women of the minority communities. It also means the pressure to earn a living at the earliest on the community's male members. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: The Chopped Hand a Symbol of Malignancy of Muslim Education System --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Myriad Challenges The challenges Muslim education faces in India are complex and require a multi-faceted approach. Lack of access to quality education and poverty is the primary challenge faced by Muslim students in India. More resources and support for minority education are required to address these challenges. Despite various government initiatives, the status of Muslim education in India remains a matter of concern. There is a need for more rigorous efforts to address the disparities and challenges faced by Muslim students. Improving the education of Muslims in India will benefit the community and contribute to the country's overall development. Without bringing Muslims at par with another segment of society, the education objectives for all in India cannot be realized. Without getting girls at par with boys, the dream of education for all in India cannot be achieved, which is also valid for Muslim education in India, given that the education of Muslim girls in school education is an important area that has gained significant attention recently. Historically, Muslim girls in India have faced various educational barriers, including poverty, social and cultural norms, and a lack of access to schools. Though the constitutionality of using religion as a criterion for selecting "backward" classes has not been explicitly challenged, the government and courts have rejected its application in practice for three main reasons: (i) it was incompatible with secularism, (ii) in the absence of a caste system among Muslims, there was no overt social discrimination suffered by them to justify special measures; and (iii) it would undermine national unity. The Critical Lacunae The heart of the problem is the predominance of an indoctrinatory approach to learning and teaching about Islam. This restricts Islamic education to a system in which the entire emphasis is on the uncritical transmission of a revered set of texts. This form of Islamic education is exploited by extremist recruiters in both majority and minority Muslim societies. Islam has a rich heritage of critical education and shares with Abrahamic faiths the prophetic educational teachings that call for continuous self-examination so that the faithful remain balanced in their religious observance. We need to challenge indoctrinatory practices, particularly on the internet. It is not that madrasas are redundant for Muslims. However, they must be oriented to modern teaching and learning methods to help Muslims join the mainstream. They must provide young Muslims with Islamic literacy that integrates reflective thinking skills and intercultural understanding to help them engage intelligently and confidently with their faith heritage and broader society. Unfortunately, neither Muslim communities nor educational policymakers have shown interest in developing alternative educational models. The kind of inclusive religious education provided in many community schools would complement such an approach by enabling students, including young Muslims, to develop a contextual understanding of Islam and its contemporary expressions. Instead of surveillance, schools need to encourage collaboration between teachers and Muslim educators. It would help pupils be better informed about Islam and build competence among Muslim students to challenge rigid interpretations of their religion. -------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Why Is There Still A Gender Gap In Muslim Education? Modern Education Vital For Women Along With Religious Education -------------------------------------------------------------- The Complex Way Forward The challenges Muslim education faces in India are complex and require a multi-faceted approach. Lack of access to quality education and poverty is the primary challenge faced by Muslim students in India. More resources and support for minority education are required to address these challenges. Despite various government initiatives, the status of Muslim education in India remains a matter of concern. There is a need for more rigorous efforts to address the disparities and challenges faced by Muslim students. Improving the education of Muslims in India will benefit the community and contribute to the country's overall development. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Muslim Educational Dropout Is Higher Than the National Average --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Without bringing Muslims at par with another segment of society, the objectives of education for all in India cannot be realized. Without getting girls at par with boys, the dream of education for all in India cannot be achieved, which is also valid for Muslim education in India, given that the teaching of Muslim girls in school education is an important area that has gained significant attention recently. Historically, Muslim girls in India have faced various educational barriers, including poverty, social and cultural norms, and a lack of access to schools. There is no specialist Muslim teacher-training provision or community-based oversight of diverse Muslim educational institutions. In cooperation with the universities and relevant authorities, Muslim communities need to develop a set of academic benchmarks and standards for teaching Islam within diverse Muslim educational settings, including madrassas and mosques. A specialist watchdog could be established to monitor standards, especially for teaching Islam in prison. ----- Moin Qazi is the author of the bestselling book, Village Diary of a Heretic Banker. He has worked in the development finance sector for almost four decades. URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-politics/state-muslim-education-india/d/130854 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism