THIS is apropos your editorial ‘Madressah reform’ (Dec 9).

The question of proliferation of madrassahs must be viewed in the wider context of the overall availability of facilities for education in the country. Providing education to all children is the responsibility of the government but, as in many other areas of national life, the government seems to have abdicated its responsibility to private parties.

There are entities which follow the curriculum and syllabi of foreign education boards, imparting education in English with textbooks published abroad and charging exorbitant fees. These are followed by pseudo-English-medium schools providing education of dubious quality, though at slightly lower fees. For a vast majority of households these institutions are too expensive and out of their reach. Government schools charge nominal fees but the quality of education is hopelessly poor.

Madressahs provide purely religious education with free boarding and lodge to their students. Most of the children there are from destitute families who don’t mind the type and quality of education so long as their children get food and clothing.

Many children of schoolgoing age are still left out and they don’t go to any school at all.Thus society stands divided into classes because of the divergence in mindset, outlook and temperament.

The situation calls for a radical change in government policy giving high priority to education. Free education up to secondary level is provided by all developed countries. This should be the case in Pakistan also.

There ought to be a national scheme of education with unified syllabi and textbooks for various grades based on the requirement of a modern, progressive and democratic society. All educational institutions, including madressahs, must be made to conform to the national system of education.

M Zubair Farooqui
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017