PESHAWAR, May 24: An amount of Rs75 million provided by the federal government to the NWFP for introducing reforms in seminaries has remained unutilised as madressahs are reluctant to submit affidavits to the provincial authorities in return for receiving financial grants, sources said.
The provincial government, they said, had been provided funds more than two years ago, but it could not be utilised after the federal government funded five-year Madressahs Reforms Project (MRP) had yet to take off.
Initially about 220 seminaries in the NWFP had submitted applications for seeking grants, but later their managements refused to accept financial assistance from the government, an official said.
“The project is there for the last two years, offering money and trained teachers to seminaries, but no body is ready to accept the package,” he said.
The sources said that All Wafaqul Madaris (AWM), involving seminaries representing different sects, had directed its affiliated madressahs not to accept financial grants unless the government removed its (AWM’s) reservations.
The federal government outlined reforms programme for madressahs and allocated Rs6 billion for the five-year project. The fund had been distributed among the provinces, tribal areas, Northern Areas and capital territory on the basis of population.
The NWFP had received Rs75 million for MRP about two and half years ago, but the amount could not be utilised. The provincial government had tasked the Department of Schools and Literacy to execute the project.
Under the project, the government would provide Rs20,000 for text books of English, Maths, Pakistan Studies and General Science, Rs10,000 for sports, Rs10,000 for stationery and Rs20,000 for furniture to every registered seminary.
Apart from it, the government would provide four teachers to each Ibtidaia (primary level) registered seminary for teaching formal subjects. The teachers would be paid Rs3,000 per month.
The sources said that the federal government had decided to increase salaries of teachers from Rs3,000 to Rs4,000.
According to a survey conducted by the Department of Schools and Literacy, there were 4,680 madressahs in the NWFP (3,795 for male and 885 for female), out of which 3,089 were affiliated with the Wafaqul Madaris (Deobandi).
The number of fulltime enrolled students in seminaries was 183,140 (153,226 male and 29,914 female). The survey report did not carry information about the number of foreign students and Afghan refugees in seminaries.
The provincial Department of Industries had registered 2,450 seminaries in the NWFP under Societies Registration Act, 1860.
But the survey report said that only 1,077 had been registered in the province. Earlier federal government had fixed December 2005 deadline for the registration of seminaries.
The provincial government had recently made amendments in the Societies Registration Act under which seminaries would register themselves with the government and would submit annual audit report about funds utilisation and curricular activities.
According to the report 830 seminaries had refused to provide basic information and declined to divulge information as to with whom they were affiliated — either AWM or any religious group.
Officials said that the seminaries wanted the government to provide the amount in lump sum and they were also not interested to recruit teachers on government’s choice.
“Seminaries are ready to submit annual progress report to the government, but will not let the authorities to accomplish their hidden agenda,” said a principal of a seminary in Peshawar.
Officials said that despite agreement on registration and assurances, seminaries to the day had certain reservations and they believed that the government would use the grant as a ‘tool’ against madressahs.