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“On 15 August and 26 January, the government demands proof of the national anthem being sung in madrasas. But no one cares when we haven’t received salaries in the last 30 months. We are on the brink of starvation.”
While saying this, Salma’s eyes were filled with both anger and tears. Ujma had been teaching for over 10 years in a madrasa in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. She hasn’t received her salary in 30 months.
In Uttar Pradesh, thousands of madrasa teachers have been forced to take to the streets after non-payment of salaries for two and a half years.
What Is the Issue About?
Under the central government’s Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) also known as Madrasa Modernisation Scheme, post-graduate teachers get Rs 12,000 and graduate teachers get Rs 6,000 per month as wages. The state government gives Rs 3,000 to the post-graduate teachers and Rs 2,000 to the graduate teachers. But the madrasa teachers allege that for the last 30 months, they have not received the money that comes in under the SPQEM scheme.
Nawab Hussain, the Uttar Pradesh chief of Islamic Madrasa Modernisation Teachers Association of India (AIMMTA), says that both the central and state governments contribute to the teachers’ salaries. But the central government has not sent its portion for the last 30 months.
What is Madrasa Modernisation?
To modernise the madrasas and provide better quality education there, the central government had launched the Scheme to Provide Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM). According to the scheme, subjects like English, Hindi, Mathematics, Science etc. would be taught in the madrasas, apart from Islamic education. Instructors would be recruited for the same. There was also talk of introducing NCERT books and linking them to the syllabus.
But , Ajaz Ahmed, President, Islamic Madrasa Modernisation Teachers Association of India (AIMMTA), says “The government may have introduced NCERT syllabus in the madrasas but have not provided any books. The students are losing out on their education. Neither are we getting our wages, nor are the students getting anything.”
The madrasa teachers staging a dharna at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar have only one question for the government: will it look after the future of those who are responsible for shaping the future of children?
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