Re: What really happens inside a madrassa
There is no doubt that most children who go to Madrasas get abused at madrasas, be that abuse physical, sexual, emotional or material. There are reasons for that too that one should understand without getting too much emotional.
Actually, above mentioned abuses would have been norm in mainstream primary/secondary schools too, but it is not, because if such abuses would happen in mainstream schools than there is high chances that things would come out on surface and law takes action against perpetrator (most of the time) that deters teachers at school to abuse. For instance, when a teacher gave a slap to a child I know (in Karachi), his dad went to school and gave the teacher good beating and got him sacked (management cooperated).
Such action by parents and school management do not happen at Masrasas, rather parents who send children to Madrasas trust Child-abusers and/or Paedophile teachers as if they are religious Saints. Unfortunately, they do not even like to listen/trust their own children stories of abuses by these notorious ‘Saints’ calling themselves Mufti, Maulana, Mullah, Shaikh, etc and teaching at Madrasas. Normally parents also accept material abuses of madrasa teachers thinking them as Saint (where teacher keep asking students material things).
Above situation, since it is on-going thing in Madrasas results in Madrasas producing stream of Child-abusers and Paedophiles (as kids who get abused during childhood become Child-abusers and Paedophiles themselves). These Child-abusers and Paedophiles coming out of Madrasas knowing that they can fulfil their urge in Madrasas easily (under the cover of being so-called religious Saints, Mufti, Maulana, Mullah, Shaikh, etc) prefer to take up Madrasa teaching and/or administrative jobs at Madrasa. Since they get into madrasas in numbers they do everything to get rid of normal teachers, eventually madrasas start getting run by Child-abusers and Paedophiles, who do not only abuse kids sexually but also abuse in other ways, like physically, emotionally, and materially. Present Pakistani situation is such that I doubt any madrasa in Pakistan is not run by these abusers (those who get caught are unfortunate one).
That means, if such would go on without government correcting the situation, Pakistan would become country of child-abusers and Paedophiles as influence of Madrasa in Pakistan is growing day by day
In my opinion, to solve such problem, madrasas education in Pakistan should get banned. To fulfil the demand of parents wanting their children to get Islamic education, main stream government schools should start option of ‘Islamic education’ in evening for all who would like to get such education. Since such facility should be restricted for those going through main stream syllabus in morning and afternoon session of the school, children would get both types of education even if they want just ‘Islamic education’. Such method would give these kids much balance education. To help poor children, government should give bursary to all kids whose family income per head is below certain level. Obviously, for all of these, government have to change their priority and increase education budget considerably.
Teachers in all Schools (government as well as private) should pass special teaching courses to qualify for teaching job, where they are taught how to teach and how they could get severe punishment if they are caught abusing kids. Teachers should also stay under observation throughout their teaching career. Government should create an outside body (body outside schools) to hear and investigate teacher’s abuses and all parents as well as children in all schools should know about this body, and children/parents should be encouraged to report teacher’s abuses to this outside body (using their own name or staying Anonymous). Any complain against teachers should be taken very seriously such that any abuse in school should be dealt by police where teachers are not only fined but could serve long prison sentence.
Further, it should be seen by parents/students that any report to this outside body do get investigated and perpetrator in teaching get punished. Rather, for precautionary reasons, if a particular teacher gets similar report of abuse against him/her for 3 times by unrelated students/parents than that teacher should be stopped from education profession even if nothing can be proven against that teacher.
.. ok.
