Students and parents of Islamic educational institutes under Markazu Tharbiyathul Islamiya (MTI), Kerala, have criticised the MTI administrative committee for scrapping the Wafy and Wafiyya courses of Coordination of Islamic Colleges (CIC) from their curriculum.
Colleges affiliated with the Coordination of Islamic Colleges (CIC) offer Wafy courses for men and Wafiyya for women which combine both Islamic and secular higher education.
Recently, a Class XI student of Al Gaith Islamic and Arts College for Girls, Valanchery, approached childline with a complaint against the committee, said a report by The New Indian Express. Parents of other students also moved the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) after their children were denied entry to the MTI campus to appear for the semester exams of the two courses.
In her complaint, the Class XI student said she had completed one year of the five-year Wafiyya course and sought the nod to finish the rest. An official with the childline in Malappuram said the girl expressed her disappointment over the committee's decision.
“The student said she joined the institute as she was interested in the course. She said last week, Markazu authorities informed her about the decision to discontinue the course and that they will not let students like her complete it. The girl then sought childline's intervention,” said an official.
TNIE stated that the Childline Malappuram district coordinator Anwar Karakkadan said they will study the student's issue in detail and submit a report before the KeSCPCR and Child Welfare Committee, Malappuram.
MTI favours the curriculum of the Samastha National Education Council (SNEC). Samastha Kerala Jam-lyyathul Ulema, a body of Sunni scholars, had formed SNEC to replace CIC after severing ties with the latter. The Samastha-CIC spat began when the latter allegedly refused to obey Samastha's directives.
Samastha has also urged around 90 Muslim educational institutions in Kerala to snap ties with CIC and use SNEC's curriculum. The move has put students, who had joined the Wafy and Wafiyya courses, under immense pressure.
