Bihar madrasa lifts ban on admission of girls

Patna, October 17: A government-affiliated madrasa in Bihar Thursday lifted a ban on admission for girls and restriction on their entry on its campus after protests, officials said. Madrasa Azizia Thursday resumed admission for girls, its principal Mohammed Mumtaz Ahmad said. "We are not against girls education, the madrasa is doing everything to educate them."The madrasa would hire women teachers and make separate sitting arrangement for girls, he added.

The madrasa is located in Bihar Sharief, district headquarters of Nalanda, about 100 km from here. Early this week, management of Madrasa Azizia issued a diktat that girls will not be enrolled and those already enrolled will not be allowed into its premises as there is no separate sitting arrangement for them and co-education is against the Islamic tenets.

However, girl students protested against the move Wednesday, forcing the state government to intervene and sought a report from the district administration. Teachers, social activists and others supported the protest by the girls. Madrasa Azizia is run by Soghra Wakf Estate Committee.

IANS