Re: Azhar's mail on Education

[Arvind Kumar <arvind.kumar@rocketmail.com>]

---IamAzhar@aol.com wrote:
>
> The question I raised was what should Muslim kids
do when they have no
> or little access to REAL schools.  Them attending
Madrasas is better
> than wandering on streets and causing problems to
others or getting in
> trouble with the law.  Don't you agree with me
here???

Of course I do. The whole idea was not to prevent them
from doing anything but to see to it that they have
good modern education.
In our Utopian Agenda, we give free and compulsory
education. So at that level, it is consistent. We
should definitely decide how giving them access to
real schools can be done.
Merely stopping them from attending Madrasas without
giving them access to real schools would be sadism.

>
> My perspective is that no policy to improve India
is complete unless it
> includes compulsory education to all.  But forcing
minorities to abandon
> their religious schools and not providing an
alternative is indeed an

I would like to know how it can be ensured that
children actually attend schools. I think this is
something we should discuss.
On the question of minorities, as I said, the whole
idea is not to force them to abandon their religious
schools but to force modern education on everyone.
If this compulsory education comes in the way of
religion, it is religion which must make way.

>  I wonder why you think that this discussion will
end up as a
> Hindu-Muslim issue.  Remember, persuasion is a key
to achieve all this.

Agreed. I included that line just to preempt this
discussion from ending that way.

-Arvind


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