Bihar madrasas start modern & mainstream syllabus from current academic session

students of Mrasas in Bihar will learn English, Hindi, Maths and Science along with tritional course in Islamic studies and Arabic from this acemic session that started in April, a top official of state Mrasa Education Board said Saturday.

board has ded "modern and mainstream" syllabus along with tritional studies in mrasas to help students keep pace with society, ded official. 

Around eight lakh students, enrolled in 4,000 mrasas across state will w be able to learn English, Hindi, Science, Social Science and Maths right from Class 1 to Class 12 apart from Arabic and Islamic studies y are taught, Bihar Mrasa Education Board Chairman Abdul Qayum Ansari told PTI.

In order to keep pace with society, we started modern and mainstream syllabus from current acemic session in all mrasas of state. efforts to start modern syllabus based on SCERT and NCERT curriculum would t have been possible without help of UNICEF and UNFP,ded Ansari. 

Students of mrasas can w choose science, arts and commerce subjects after Class 10, as SCERT textbooks have been prescribed till Class 8 and NCERT textbooks from Class 9 to 12, he said.

langu of teaching would be urdu and school texts would also be in that langu for better understanding.

If modern and mainstream education is t followed, n we will be cut off from society,ded Ansari.

 If we have to live in society, n we will have to learn English, Hindi, Science, Social Science, Maths and all techlogical vancement... students will get to learn science, social science, etc. in Urdu langu which will help m in understanding concepts in a better manner,ded Ansari. 

Efforts are being me to improve skills of students studying in mrasas so that y are t confined to study Arabic, rar y will get to learn how to translate from Arabic to English and vice versa so that y get a job in foreign countries as well, he said.

board chairman gave credit to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for initiative, saying "it is Kumars resolve to bring m into mainstream as he (CM) thinks that Bihar will t move ahe if y (mirities) remain laggard".

board has also started distributing books in mrasas of state through 'Mukhya Mantri Mrasa Pustak Vitran Vahan', he said, ding that all course materials right from class I to Class 12 are also available on boards website www.bsmeb.org from where one can get it.

Mrasas are also holding online classes through its Youtube channel for its students, he said, ding that an 'app' has also been launched for students to access materials.

Around eight lakh students are enrolled in 4,000 mrasas affiliated to Mrasa Board, he said, ding 1,942 mrasas are funded by state government.

Ar 1000 mrasas will also start getting grant soon from government, he said.

Of 15,000 teachers of mrasas, 5,000 teachers were given online training during lockdown period through zoom app and or modes, Ansari said.

Pramila Maharan, education specialist with UNICEF, Patna, said that world body carried a study in 2018 which recommended sweeping changes in existing education system of mrasa education and submitted a report to Mrasa Board and state government, to which board agreed.

In our study, we found that children at mrasas are keen to learn subjects like science, social science and maths like any or children,ded Pramila Maharan. 

"After three years of hard work, we were successful in changing curriculum of mrasas where studies based on modern and mainstream syllabus began in current acemic session," Maharan told PTI.

UNICEF study showed that mrasas in state h teachers for science and maths, she said ding that ne of mrasas h eir a laboratory or a library.

state mrasa board is also planning to develop an app to monitor teaching as per Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 rms, UNICEF official said.

y have alrey conducted an online orientation programme for 5,000 teachers of mrasas during lockdown, official ded.