KOLKATA: The headmaster of a Madarasa in West Bengal's Bardhaman district that has distinguished itself as a secular institution, where Hindu students outnumber Muslim pupils, will receive the National award for teachers to be given by President Pratibha Patil on Teachers' Day.
The sight of hundreds of Hindu students, well versed in Arabic and able to read theological texts in the language, is not uncommon in the Orgram Chatuspalli High Madarasa.
Anwar Hossain, took charge of the Madarasa more than three decades ago when the school's pupil strength was merely 34, of which two students were Hindu. The school now boasts a student strength of 1,078 of which a majority — 690 students — are Hindu.
“Over the years, the teachers and I personally went to the villages in the nearby areas to convince the parents to send their children to school,” Mr. Hossain told The Hindu over telephone on Thursday.
One of the major changes, brought to the school in 1992, was the introduction of uniforms.
It reinforces the feeling of familiarity among the students and the secular atmosphere, Mr. Hossain said.
He explained that unlike the perception among many, Madarasas are not centres limited to students from any particular community; they are centres of learning just like any other.
While the language of instruction in the school, affiliated to the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education, is Bengali, students learn Arabic as the third language.
No comments:
Post a Comment