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All Ears: Attentive
students in the classroom |
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 MMERC gearing for the new academic year -
Entrance
test for Madrasa graduates on July 12:
Markazul
Ma’arif Education & Research Centre (MMERC), Mumbai has
announced combined entrance test dates for Diploma in English
Language and Literature (DELL) for batch 2009-2011. The written test
will be.....Read Full
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Mumbai:
Its 9’oclock
late in the evening, the time to pack up for most of the people in
Mumbai. However at Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research Center (MMERC)
in the heart of the popular international city in India, it is as if
the beginning of the day. The activities in the classrooms, the calm
in the library, the clerks at work, the buzz in the court-yard and
the appetizing smell emanating from the kitchen, the combination was
a match perfect to describe beginning of a busy day in any
institution. No. They haven’t started their activities now. In fact
they are busy right from 6 in the morning. Yet the freshness over
their faces reveals absolutely no sign of fatigue.
This is the
routine at Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research Center (MMERC) in
Mumbai, the Institute-cum-Research Centre for Madrasa students. The
Institute that polish a select batch of immature yet talented
Madrasa students and convert them into a valuable asset for the
country and the world. The Institute that is the brainchild of Maulana
Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi who came into the limelight after floating
Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) few years back and recently
after winning the parliamentary election by a huge margin.
“We don’t have
a weekly off, neither a Friday nor a Sunday. Our students are busy
right from the morning till late in the evening for whole of the
year”, said Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi. Maulana Burhan, the trusted
lieutenant of Badruddin Ajmal in Mumbai, is also the principle of
the Institute, a mentor and a father like figure for the students.
At the same time, very confident and absolutely clear while
expressing his views.
We asked him
the motives behind setting up an Institute for Madrasa students, a
bunch considered as useless and on whom no one would consider
investing anything let alone millions of rupees every year, the
philosophical Burhanuddin Qasmi goes on. “Had
there not been Ulema after the decline of Muslim rule, the mythical
Indian civilization would have absorbed Muslim identity and
culture”, he said while adding, “Ulema have been the backbone of the
Muslim community and their extraordinary efforts through ages have
kept the Islamic assets protected and flourishing on the Indian
soil.
Therefore, the fate of Muslims as a unit and a separate religious
group depends on the progressive ideas, up-to-date policies and
universal thoughts of their spiritual leaders.”
“At the onset of the new millennium”, he said, “As the community was
surrounded by multitude political problems, it faced the biggest
challenge to its civilization and cultural heritage. Since the Ulema,
being aware of only Islamic sciences and Urdu-Arabic languages, were
not only lacking access to the international community but also to a
good part of their population. Hence it is needed to equip the
graduates of Madrasas with the modern science so that they can meet
the modern challenges and play a greater influential role in the
society.”
At the helm of the affairs, Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi personally
takes care that the quality is strictly maintained for the two-year
course having a total of just 25 students for each year. No less
than education bliss for the Madrasa students, Markazul Ma’arif
Education and Research Center (MMERC) has changed the lives of more
than hundred students in few years since its foundation.
“Total discipline and absolutely no leisure to anyone, our rules are
very clear. Above all our evaluation method leaves no chance for the
students to freak out. To come with the flying colors, they have no
option but to perform”, said Maulana Burhan Qasmi.
Today the Madrasa students after completing the course from Markazul
Ma’arif Education and Research Center (MMERC) are most sought after
by the consulates, publishing centers and even by the industries,
everyone coming to Markazul Ma’arif Education and Research
Center (MMERC) with attractive packages and lucrative offers for
MMERC students.
Certainly an IIM in making for the Madrasa students, the experiment
that began in Mumbai has now spread to Assam, Gujarat and Uttar
Pradesh (UP).
Courses
Diploma in English Language & Literature (DELL):
English is the Lingua Franca of the world today. People world over,
communicate with
each other and transact business through this language. Though Ulema
from Madrasas
know Arabic and they can comprehend Islam directly from the original
sources, they find
it difficult to communicate with the intelligentsia as they lack
proficiency in English
language. Consequently they are not only unable to present Islam to
others but also fail to
communicate with the educated people of their own community. To
cement this communication gap, the Institute inspires Ulema to learn
English so that they
acquire enough proficiency in reading, writing, speaking this
language and translate
Islamic works into the same utilizing the modern tools of
communication such as
computer and Internet. It may help them become effective preachers
and propagators of
Islam.
Under this program, graduates from different Madrasas are selected
after written and oral tests to join this two-year course. Priority
is given to those graduates who have an aptitude and willingness to
learn English and an ambition to work for Dawah in future. Students
joining this course undergo training for two years with the sole
objective of acquiring proficiency in English language and operating
computer and Internet.
Students completing this course stand at par with graduate of
English medium public schools and colleges. Also they become capable
of writing articles, delivering lectures on Islam and comparative
religions, teaching English and Arabic and taking research works in
English independently. At the same time they get an opportunity to
join renowned organizations, institutes and magazines and also to
work as an administrator, teacher, interpreter and translator in
India or abroad.
Research Training
Having successfully passed the exams, some qualified students are
selected for three years intensive full time “Research and Training
Course”. During the period research methodology is instilled in them
and in the process they are trained for an in-depth research. The
topic of research is basically related to Islam and Muslims. During
the first year the trainees select a topic in consultation with his
guide. He is asked to collect materials and participate in seminars
on the subject. He is also encouraged to meet different experts of
the subject and visit various libraries. The trainee is required to
submit a thesis of his research findings in no less than 100 pages.
Once a trainee completes the Research Training course and submits
his paper successfully, he is enrolled for “Research Fellow” phase.
Research Fellow
During second year, the Research Fellow is to take thorough research
on the same topic for which he has already submitted a paper.
Intensive research is done here with a view to come out with new
findings that help remove misgiving related to Islam vis-à-vis other
religions and modern scientific researches.
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