Government won't allow unregistered seminaries to function: Shafqat

Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mehmood Thursday said that unregistered seminaries (Madaris) will not be allowed to function and their foreign funding will only be channelised through banks.
Addressing a press conference here, Shafqat Mehmood said that these efforts are being made to streamline the religious seminaries. As far as foreign funding is considered, all foreign funding is not suspicious, the minister said, adding that ministry with the help and facilitate the seminaries to open bank accounts to avail the foreign funding.
He said a consensus has been reached during a meeting with Tanzeemat-e-Madaris over registration of the religious seminaries under the pre-decided conditions and to stop the spread of religious hatred.
He said efforts are under way to implement uniform curriculum in the entire country after revising it according to needs. The minister said these efforts are being made to streamline the religious seminaries while keeping them independent. He said the government will not interfere in the internal matters of the Madaris but they will be brought in the mainstream through a process of registration.
Shafqat Mehmood said the Ministry of Education will open 12 regional offices across the country, which will assist seminaries in various areas including imparting technical and vocational training.
Registration of those seminaries would be cancelled which fail to comply with conditions of registration, he made it clear. The minister said it has also been decided in the meeting that seminaries will teach contemporary subjects of the relevant boards and the examination of these subjects will be conducted by the Federal Board.
He said the seminary students will be awarded certificates by the Federal Board, which will be acceptable at every forum. He said a department for religious education will also be established at the Federal Board to facilitate seminaries.
He appreciated the seminaries for imparting free and quality education to deserving children and said that the seminaries are doing a national service by assisting the state and the government in imparting education to students just like private schools.
He said that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and state institutions played an important role in developing the consensus. He said the issue of unregistered seminaries has not been sorted out for over 15 years.