The government initiates measures to mainstream religious seminaries.

Islamabad (Web Desk Reporter) Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Law, told the Senate on Thursday that the government is taking substantial steps to incorporate religious seminaries (madaris) into the national education system. He noted that seminaries registered with the Ministry of Education get instructional resources, such as teacher stipends and academic publications, to improve contemporary education.

In a written response to Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri’s queries, Federal Minister for Education Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui revealed that as of September 11, 2024, there were 17,738 madaris registered across the country, with a total enrollment of 2,249,520 students. He stated that Punjab has 10,012 registered seminaries, Sindh has 2,416, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 4,005, Balochistan has 575, Azad Jammu and Kashmir has 445, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has 199, and Gilgit-Baltistan has 86. Minister Tarar stated that around 50% of seminaries are now registered, largely with the Ministry of Education, although the precise number of unregistered seminaries is unknown. He further stated that the Directorate of Religious Education had supplied books to nearly 160,000 seminary students and assisted the employment of 1,196 teachers in 598 seminaries. The ministers stated that no direct funding is granted to seminaries. However, funding in the form of educational materials and teacher stipends is intended to match religious education with current norms. In a similar report, Minister Tarar stated that the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) employs 1,004 scientists, 318 non-scientists, and 812 support persons, underlining the need for public sector efficiency improvements. The government’s actions indicate its dedication to raising educational standards while maintaining the traditional principles taught in seminaries.

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