Madrassas outnumber educational institutions in Islamabad

Religious seminaries have outnumbered educational institutions in Islamabad as the federal government did not open any new school in the national capital during the last four years, but a number of madrassas cropped up.

According to a report by the Express tribune, a latest survey conducted by the capital administration showed the number of seminaries in the federal capital stands at 374 and a majority of them are unregistered. The survey showed that the government had no influence over a majority of the seminaries as 205 of the religious institutions were unregistered.

Religious seminaries (374) outnumbered the capital's 348 educational institutions (191 primary, 60 middle and 97 high schools). However, 43 higher secondary schools, which are generally considered as inter-colleges, are not included in the list of schools.

New survey shows the government did not open new schools in the last four years but several madrassas cropped up in capital territory.

According to a sources, over 25,000 students were pursuing education in the 374 madrassas having boarding facilities. Around 12,000 students belonged to Islamabad while the remaining were from other cities and towns.

The survey was carried out on the direction of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, apparently after the recent spike in terror activities in the country. The survey is being carried out in two phases. In the first phase, the status of the seminaries was checked to confirm if they were registered or not.

During the second phase, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will check whether both the registered and unregistered seminaries are operating on encroached land or not.

"The first part of the survey has been completed and work is underway to complete the second phase," said a source in the ICT administration. He said the basic purpose of the survey was to put an end to the mushroom growth of unregistered seminaries which continued since 1980, particularly in the rural areas of the capital.

-ANI