PESHAWAR, April 9: The NWFP government has received about 300 applications for the registration of Madressahs in the province since lifting of ban in February, officials said.

The registration, which was banned about ten years ago, was started on Feb 16 after the federal government allowed provinces to regularize seminaries.

One senior government functionary said that the industry, commerce and labour department had registered 78 seminaries in the Frontier province.

The federal government had banned the registration of seminaries in 1994 with a view to eliminating extremism and sectarianism from the society.

Despite official ban, thousands of seminaries were set up, with most getting financial assistance from charity organisations in the country and from abroad, particularly the Gulf states.

“We are anticipating 800 more applications within the next few months,” the official source said, adding that 78 Madaris had been registered so far after scrutiny. The rest of 222 applications were being processed, he said.

People from Swat, Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts have submitted applications for seminaries’ registration.

Under section 20 of the Societies Act, 1860, the industry, commerce and labour department registers seminaries in the province.

Before 1994, the department concerned had registered 1,437 seminaries in the province under the act.

Officials said that after completing the registration process, these seminaries would be eligible to receive funds from the provincial social welfare department.

Under the new policy, Madressahs are not allowed to provide admission to foreign students unless they produce a no-objection certificate from the federal authorities.

Sources in the school and literacy department said the NWFP government would receive Rs1,000 million from the federal government under the Madaris Reforms Programme.

They said that after completing the groundwork, the project would be launched in the province.

The federal government has started

a five-year Madaris reforms programme with a total outlay of Rs5.759

billion. Under the programme the

government will introduce modern subjects including English, Maths, computer, general science and social studies in 7,000 registered seminaries across the country.

These registered seminaries would be provided teaching material, manpower and computers free of cost.