State mulls video-learning in madrasas

Kolkata: The government is planning to introduce technology-based learning in the state madrasas to improve the quality of education.

“There are a number of teachers in the madrasas who teach exceedingly well. We will make a video recording of their lectures and telecast them through skype so that both the students and the teachers of the remote districts can learn from them. The teachers in the remote rural areas can also exchange knowledge with their counterparts in the urban areas through this process,” a senior official of the state minority and madrasa education department said.

The department has already prepared a draft of the different steps that can be taken to improve the education standard in the madrasas. The draft report has also identified the areas where the syllabus needs to be changed and has to be made outline. “We are sending the draft to the chief minister for her approval. As soon as we get the nod, we will proceed,” the official added.

The education department monitors the way the teachers impart education in the school and even award the teachers on the basis of their teaching quality.

The madrasa education also needs to honour their teachers in the same fashion so that they are motivated.

The madrasa education department has also engaged two non-governmental organisations that work with it in various projects to conduct a survey to assess the quality of education in the madrasas.”40 per cent of the teaching posts in the madrasas are lying vacant. We are also trying to fill up the vacancies,” the official said.

As per a survey conducted by the department in collaboration with an NGO, out of 54 lakh minority students, around 5 lakh study in the state madrasas.

Hence, only 10 per cent of the minority students, who do not get to study at the local schools, go to the madrasas.

The survey also pointed out that parents in most cases are reluctant to admit their wards in the madrasas because of the inferior education quality.

“The Left Front government had neglected the madrasa education. This government has set the ball rolling. Hope the move will work well,” a leading educationist said.