'Recognise madrassa degree for IAS'

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New Delhi: The Sachar committee has suggested degrees from madrassa (Islamic schools) be granted recognition for eligibility in defence, civil and banking examinations.

"The idea is to facilitate a process whereby madrassa graduates too have a choice and an incentive to participate in these employment streams," the seven-member committee headed

by former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajindar Sachar said in its report on social, economic and educational status of Muslims.

The report, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, noted that madrassa should not be looked upon as alternative to regular school, but as a complement.

"This (recognition to madrassa degrees) should, however, remain within the existing framework of these competitive examinations," it said.

The committee suggested mechanisms be evolved to link madrassa with higher secondary school boards in order to enable their students to shift to regular and mainstream education.

Flexibility, it said, should be introduced so as to enable madrassa graduates to move across to regular mainstream education after graduating from these institutions, if they so wish.

"In other words, opportunity should be made available to them, especially in courses where admission is done through an entrance test/competitive examination," the committee added.

It noted that modernised madrassa were unlikely to satisfy the educational demand of the Muslim community and that the government would have to set up mainstream schools where they are not available.