ISLAMABAD – Pakistan plans to take control of a network of over 30,000madrasas as part of a drive to “mainstream” the Islamic schools by bringingthem under state control, the military’s spokesman said on Monday.
Modernizing madrasa education is a thorny issue in Pakistan, a deeplyconservative Muslim nation where religious schools are often blamed forradicalization of youngsters but are the only education available tomillions of poor children.
Pakistan’s new government, facing pressure from global powers to actagainst militant groups carrying out attacks in India and Afghanistan, hasvowed major reforms and Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised the SouthAsian nation will no longer tolerate such outfits operating on itsterritory.
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Critics of the madrasa education system say children who attend suchschools, where they spend most of the day memorising the holy Quran, areoften ill-equipped for the modern world and some madrasas act as breedinggrounds for militant outfits.
