From Memorizing Quran to Secondary School Exams: Madrasa Students’ Journey with Shaheen Group

Kolkata: Amid all the attacks facing Madrasas and their education system in India, a group is working to mainstream its existing and passed-out students. Shaheen Group, with the goal of helping five thousand Madrasa students pass their secondary and senior secondary examinations, has brought these students into the public eye. 

“After becoming Hafeez (memorizing the Quran) and studying in Madrasas. I wanted to do schooling education. But as my age had crossed to take admission to a school, I was not sure what to do. Then I came to know about the Madrasa Plus programme by Shaheen Group,” Rizwan Alam informed the audience. Alam will appear in the National Institute of Open Schooling’s secondary school examination in October 2024.

“I have completed my one year of study under AICU (Academic Intensive Care Unit) course here and now my Mathematics, Science subjects and English are better than earlier. Insha Allah, after six months, I will be able to clear my matriculation (10th) examination,” added Alam.

Sheikh Mohammed Kifayatullah shared almost the same story in Bangla. Both are Madrasa Plus students of Jamiah Al Hoda Al Islamia. Along with them, forty-five others have also registered for NIOS’s secondary school examination scheduled in October. There are two other centers- Madrasah Ashraful Uloom and Mahad Umar bin Al Khattab Center conducting Madrasa Plus programme and their 35 and 34 students respectively registered for secondary examinations. 

In India, most of the Madrasa students remain either orphans or economically poor. In a boarding-like facility, Madrasas not only provide them with education but shelter and take care of their food as well. All these services and support are provided with the help of community support.

“We believe that Madrasa students are hard working and develop better memorizing power, because of the hard work they put in, in their studies. So if they have proper guidance and a little bit more support, they can get mainstream education and do other professional courses too,” said Abdul Qadeer, Chairman of Shaheen Group.

He further informed, “At present two thousand students across India have been enrolled in the Madrasa Plus programme and in one and half years, they will appear for secondary school examinations. We have set a target for five thousand students, and after these steps, you will see a significant change in society’s way of thinking.”

Shaheen Group also informe that they also run NEET Academy and the Madrasa students who after clearing their senior secondary examinations want to go for medical studies, the group assist them as well.

Educational awareness sessions turn into community reform

When Shaheen Group Chairman Abdul Qadeer pointed out that Muslims are having extravagant marriages instead of spending money on much-needed education and other important fields, people came up with several questions and suggestions before him.

“The worst is people who attend such marriage functions, congratulating the host on organizing lavish parties. They should either not attend it, or if they go there, they should return without having dinner. They should also communicate to the host that marriages should be simple, and money should be spent on education,” said Dr Qadeer. 

Soon after, people present at the convention came up with several questions and suggestions related to it.

Dr Qadeer also asked gathered people to vouch not to attend extravagant marriage functions.

Some people like social activist Manzar Jameel were happy to see, that a mosque (Lal Masjid) was used for an education-related event.