KARACHI, July 26: The Federal Education Minister, Zobaida Jalal, said on Monday that financial grants and other support to madressahs desiring to impart modern day education, in addition to religious studies , would be accorded shortly.

Talking to newsmen after the inauguration session of a two-day national seminar on "Changes in Curricula: Requirements and Prospect," at the University of Karachi, the minister said that the government received a good response to its advertisement for incentive package for madressahs, and different committees constituted at provincial education departments were processing madressahs cases for the package.

She said that since the interior ministry had lifted the ban on registration of madressahs established after 1994, it was likely that the number of applicants for the government package would increase further. After removal of the main hurdle in registration more institutions would be able to apply for incentives, she added.

To a question, she said for registration for the package, the madressahs did not need any clearance from the interior ministry or the provincial home departments. "There are committees at provinces, comprising representatives of education, Wafaq-ul-madressahs, Auqaf, and the home departments, which will decide the cases only after developing a consensus," she clarified.

The minister said that foreign students desiring to study at madressahs or at Islamic education departments of local universities, would be required to submit NOCs from their respective countries at the time of their admissions.

In the meantime, the ministry was trying to find some other registration procedure for students from neighbouring Afghanistan, she told a questioner. However, she mentioned that special arrangements had been made for Afghan students to accommodate them for formal as well as religious education at various institutions and madressahs in Balochistan and the NWFP.

Referring to the issue of changes in curricula and textbooks, the minister said that the impression that the changes were being effected under any pressure from the US government was not correct.

"We started reviewing curricula much before the September 11 incident, after a gap of about 16 years," she added, saying that 'improvements' in curricula and textbooks, besides those in the teaching standards and examination system were must to produce graduates compatible with needs of the time.

Earlier, speaking as chief guest at the moot, the federal minister said that there was a need to bring changes in curricula from the basic to university level. She said the curricula changes would help to create balance in the lives of our children through education.

The changes, she added, should be aimed at bringing long-term and positive improvements in the society at individuals as well as collective level, and to provide opportunities to all those who, somehow, failed to join the social mainstream due to poor strategies adopted in the past.

We wanted to introduce an educational curriculum which should not only keep us rooted, but also enhance our understanding of our surroundings, besides enabling us to face modern-day challenges, she pointed out, saying that Islam was a progressive religion which aimed at reformation of people.

She said the government was working to introduce revolutionary changes in the education sector, matching to the image of the nation and its ideology as well. We needed a curricula that led our youngsters in the right direction, helping them to make a headway in the comity of nations, she maintained.

The minister lauded the efforts of the seminar organizers, and said the federal education ministry would like to be a part of two seminars on the theme of religious tolerance and world peace. The ministry would also like to sponsor these seminars, she concluded.

The varsity's Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, in his welcome address said that role of successive past governments had been disappointing. The contradictions in their sayings and deeds created an environment of distrust, but it seemed that the present government really wanted to improve the educational affairs, he remarked.

He said that system of education, administration and curriculum were interrelated. No curriculum could achieve its goals, unless the education system and administration worked on same lines, he added.

The dean of the faculty of Islamic Learning, Prof Dr Abdul Rashid, informed the audience that the faculty had already held 13 out of 15 seminars and panned the conference on curricula.

He said that Ulema and scholars belonging to different schools of thought were participating in the seminar with the objective to formulate the curricula for Islamic education at different levels.

Ms Jalal, on behalf of the Islamic learning faculty, also gave away shields of appreciation to religious scholars, including Syed Muhammad Hasan Rizvi, Allama Syed Azmat Ali Shah, Maulana Abdul Rahman Sulfi, Maulana Muhammad Asad Thanvi, Maulana Hanif Jalandhri, Qari Abdul Rashid Al Azhari, Mufti Muhammad Usman Yar and Dr Muhammad Zubair Khan.